Irving, Texas – April 12, 2008 – Best Buddies Texas, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendship and integrated employment, and the University of Dallas are hosting the Festival of Friendship on Saturday, April 12, 2008 to celebrate the power of friendship in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. The Festival of Friendship, which is sponsored by Administaff, the University of Dallas Best Buddies Chapter, Civitan, Southwest Airlines, and the Down Syndrome Guild, will take place on the University of Dallas campus lawn (1845 E. Northgate Drive) in Irving from 1pm-4pm.
The Festival of Friendship will begin with a 1-mile “Stampede for Friendship” around the University of Dallas campus and will be followed by live entertainment, food, activity booths, and awards. The award presentation will include a proclamation by the mayor of Irving and recognition of the most outstanding high school chapter, college chapter, and Buddy Pairs.
Participants with intellectual disabilities will be speaking and performing throughout the event. Dallas resident and Buddy Lisa Smith will be performing two songs in sign language, Brittany and Angela (a Buddy Pair from UTD) will be speaking about their friendship, and Buddy Tim Wendt will be performing his favorite Elvis song! Other festival entertainment includes balloon artist Albert Curlett, caricature artists Suzanne Morell Berry and Micki Trigg, a bounce house, pie eating contest, sack races, face painting, free food and much more.
Best Buddies has organized this event in order to celebrate the successes of the current Best Buddies programs and to raise money to open additional programs in the Dallas area. The registration fee for the 1-mile Stampede for Friendship is $25 and includes entrance into the festival. Festival entrance is $5 and includes food, beverages, and access to all activities.
To cover the Festival of Friendship or find out more about Best Buddies, contact Kent Loftin at 713-962-3248, or kentloftin@bestbuddies.org.
About Best Buddies International
Founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant, international organization that has grown from one original chapter to more than 1,400 middle school, high school, and college campuses across the country and internationally. Best Buddies is now active in each of the 50 United States and operates accredited international programs in 34 countries. Our six formal programs – Best Buddies Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies and Jobs – positively impact more than 350,000 individuals with and without intellectual disabilities, as well as their respective network of family, friends, and employers. As a result of their involvement with Best Buddies, people with intellectual disabilities secure rewarding jobs, live on their own, and make lifelong friendships.
About Best Buddies Texas
Best Buddies opened an office in Dallas, Texas in 1993 and now has 38 high school chapters and 21 college chapters positively impacting the lives of 16,615 Texans in 2007. With offices in the Dallas and Houston area, Best Buddies Texas has opened chapters all over the state including chapters in Arlington, Austin, Beaumont, Carrolton College Station, Colleyville, Dallas, Deer Park, Denton, El Paso, Fort Worth, Friendswood, Fulshear, Galena Park, Galveston, Houston, Huntsville, Irving, Katy, Kerrville, Kingwood, LaPorte, League City, Lubbock, Nacogdoches, Pasadena, Richardson, San Antonio, San Marcos, Sherman, Spring, Waco. For more information on Best Buddies Texas go to www.bestbuddiestexas.org.