Best Buddies Illinois is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing them with opportunities for one-to-one friendship and integrated employment.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Best Buddies. Founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant, international organization that has grown from one original chapter to more than 1,200 middle school, high school, and college campuses across the country and the world. Best Buddies programs engage participants in each of the 50 United States as well as on six continents. The agency's six formal programs - Best Buddies Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e -Buddies® and Jobs - will positively impact more than 300,000 individuals this year.

Best Buddies Illinois was launched in 1990 to bring the Best Buddies mission of friendship to Illinois. Our work is grounded in practices developed and tested by the national Best Buddies office and is supported in-state by a staff of highly trained employees, seasoned leadership, an impressive Advisory Board, and strong, growing relationships with businesses and corporations, colleges and universities, local government, and civic and community groups across Illinois. We currently serve more than 2,500 individuals with and without disabilities through almost 70 middle school, high school and college chapters as well as through our Citizens and e-Buddies® programs…and we're still growing!

Our goals for the coming year are to expand programming to more high school and college campuses (in Chicago and across the State) and to increase enrollment in our Citizens and e-Buddies® programs. Corporate, foundation and individual contributions provide the base upon which programmatic expansion is possible, and we ask that you consider contributing toward that base. Your support helps Best Buddies Illinois maintain its capacity to serve those with and without disabilities. Bringing people of all abilities to share in the joy of friendship contributes ultimately to the creation of a more diverse, accepting and respectful community for us all.

If you are interested in joining us in this important work, through a gift, by volunteering in our programs, or by participating on one of our Boards, please contact our office at 312-828-9313. It is because of your support that our programs are possible.