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Presents Federal Funds to Maryland Chapter of Program for
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, October 17, 2005
Beltsville, MD – Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-MD) today presented Best Buddies Maryland with $248,000 he secured in federal funds for FY 2005.
Best Buddies is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of students with intellectual disabilities by providing friendships to kids of all ages. “This is an exceptional program that gives students the chance for true acceptance early in their lives,” Hoyer said. “Pairing special education students with their regular education peers will help erode the unfortunate stigma surrounding people with disabilities.”
Hoyer observed a Best Buddies “Matching Meeting”, where special education students, called buddies, get matched with a regular education student, called a peer buddy. Each match would then get together at least twice a month, and exchange phone calls or e-mails each week.
Hoyer secured a $248,000 earmark in the FY 2005 Labor/HHS bill for Best Buddies Maryland. These funds were for expansion of the Maryland program – and Best Buddies International also received a total of $1 million for their nationwide effort.
“I was pleased to witness first hand the work of the entire Shriver family today,” Hoyer said. “With their dedication, the mission of a more compassionate world for kids with any type of disability is truly possible.”
Best Buddies was founded by Anthony Shriver in 1989, and has grown to 1,000 schools across the country and internationally. It focuses on the social integration of people with intellectual disabilities. They have 3 volunteer-run school programs which pair students with and without developmental disabilities in one-to-one mentoring friendships -- Best Buddies Middle Schools, Best Buddies High Schools, and Best Buddies Colleges.
Hoyer was the lead House of Representatives sponsor of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), landmark legislation that extended civil rights to an estimated 43 million disabled Americans.
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