Mrs. Rambo of Best Buddies Speaks to Sixth Graders

For their Foundations class on Tuesday, students in the Sixth Grade Academy heard a presentation from Mrs. Courtney Rambo, Director of Mission Advancement for Best Buddies in South Carolina. Best Buddies was chosen as the beneficiary of this year's Spirit week fundraising campaign.

Best Buddies was created in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, whose mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founded Special Olympics. Anthony Kennedy Shriver, who serves as Chairman and CEO, created the non-profit organization in 1989 "to foster one-to-one friendships between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)," according to the organization's website.

Mrs. Rambo, mother of two sons at St. Joseph's (J.P. '25 and Mack '27), said Best Buddies has 31 chapters in South Carolina in 16 cities and 12 counties. It has 962 participants, having impacted 9,950. It's estimated that for every one person involved, 10 are impacted, Mrs. Rambo said.
 

"We just want people to learn how to publicly speak, how to advocate for themselves, how to advocate for others and learn the basic skills to lead a productive life," she said.

Within schools that choose to have Best Buddies, it's similar to a club.

"It's very much social," Mrs. Rambo said. "Friends are matched by interests, not by being 'voluntold' that this person is now your friend. It's based on real likes and interests. Then you find a match, and you're a match for that school year."

As for the ages of those who become involved in Best Buddies, they range from the very young to the very old.

"We like to say we have K through gray," Mrs. Rambo said. "We have clubs that serve everyone of all ages because we believe at Best Buddies that everyone deserves a friend."

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