When Emily Kwon moved to Broomall from South Korea in eighth grade, one of the first things she did was join the Best Buddies club at Paxon Hollow Middle School. Emily’s passion and interest in helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) began when she was a young girl growing up with cousins who had special needs. “When I learned about Best Buddies, I was so excited about the opportunities to promote inclusion,” explained Emily. “Back in South Korea, my cousins weren’t given the same opportunities. It always made me sad that inclusion isn’t common there.”
Emily is now a sophomore at Marple Newtown High School (MNHS) and is the co-president of MNHS’s chapter of Best Buddies. Founded in 1989, Best Buddies International is a non-profit organization whose mission is to create friendships and social connections with people within a community who have IDDs. With thousands of chapters around the world, they create opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development and inclusive living. Emily said that joining the club has allowed her to expand her knowledge about inclusion and help establish her future goals. “Eventually, I hope to expand and influence people with intellectual disabilities all around the world,” she said.
This November, Emily was honored at the Champion of the Year Gala, an annual fundraising competition featuring a select group of individuals, professionals and prominent community leaders who compete to raise the most funds for Best Buddies and earn the title of Champion of the Year. The gala, held at the Drexelbrook, celebrated the efforts of several philanthropic leaders from Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs while raising funds for Best Buddies programs. The event included a silent and live auction, dinner, dancing, a keynote address and a special awards ceremony.
MNHS teacher and Best Buddies advisor Mr. Michael Winterbottom was not surprised at Emily’s recognition for her work with the organization. “Emily is always stepping up and is never reluctant to take on a new challenge,” he said. Last year, the MNHS Best Buddies held its first Best Buddies Ball, which Emily was instrumental in planning. “It was a big challenge, but Emily is always eager to try something. She rarely says no to an idea!” he added.
For the past eight years, the MNHS Best Buddies club has been offering students a multitude of activities and opportunities to make lifelong friendships. The group helps those with and without disabilities, allowing participants to learn from each other. “We want to match students who have similar interests and bring out the best in each other,” Mr. Winterbottom explained.
Best Buddies is one the largest clubs at MNHS, with nearly 80 students who participate. In addition to weekly meetings and activities at the school, the club participates in a number of National Best Buddies events, including the Friendship Walk, the leading walk in the country supporting inclusion for people with IDDs. Each year, members of the group also take the Polar Bear Plunge, a fundraiser for the Special Olympics.
The MNHS Best Buddies club gets involved in local events as well. Multiple times a year, they pack meals together for Kids Against Hunger. A few years ago the club organized a birthday campaign for Newtown Square resident and veteran Eugene Vickers of Newtown Square on his 106th birthday. Their card campaign produced over 500 birthday cards. The group also created a lawn sign commemorating his birthday and had members of the MN Band play for him. This year marks the third time that Best Buddies will be making 150 bag lunches at The Unforgotten Haven, a charity that operates out of Camden, NJ.
Emily said that the best part of Best Buddies is coordinating events and seeing how much fun the students are having. “It just brings me joy,” she said. “It’s really given me a new perspective about friendship and the importance of inclusion.” To learn more about the Best Buddies program, visit www.
BestBuddies.org and to see what the MNHS Best Buddies program is doing, visit their Instagram page.