Members for the UNM chapter, posing for the camera
Students from La Cueva HS having blast at Prom
Participants from Rio Rancho HS Best Buddies, showing their Hawaiian spirit
Eldorado HS coming together for a group photo
by AMANDA GONZALES
Best Buddies New Mexico
Over 130 students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and their Peers, representing 8 High School and the University of New Mexico celebrated their prom in total inclusion on Friday April 23, 2010, thanks to Best Buddies New Mexico.
The Best Buddies Prom was held at the Albuquerque Marriot Pyramid North from 7pm-12. Participants of Best Buddies dance the night away to celebrate the achievements of their chapters and Global Youth Service Day by collecting 198 pounds of non-perishable food items to be donated to the Rio Grande Food Project.
This is a day participants and parents from Best Buddies will always remember. Laura Heitman, Faculty Advisor, from La Cueva High School, stated “I will carry with me the image of looking out on the dance floor and seeing everyone dancing together. Not kids with disabilities and kids without, but just kids having fun together.
I know the evening was very special for many of our families, from the shopping for a dress, having a buddy come over to help with hair and makeup to getting phone calls from their kids, asking if they could stay out later. All wonderful experiences that so many parents take for granted, but not all parents do, as we so often know.”
Too often individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are left behind their peers because we assume they can’t achieve certain goals. Best Buddies teaches them they can, will, and must achieve!
The Best Buddies Prom was organized by the Junior Leadership Committee, comprised of participants of Best Buddies with and without IDD. Students from Janet Shriver’s class at the University of New Mexico (UNM) also assisted organizing the prom by soliciting donations for goodie bags from Sam’s Club and Target.
They also collected monetary donations during UNM Disabilities Awareness Day, with which they purchased decorations. Ms. Shriver’s students also dedicated their time to making goodie bags and decorating.
Student Alayna Bowman from the Ms. Shriver’s Class is also a UNM Photography student and went the extra mile by setting up a room for Prom pictures. The day of event, Best Buddies also received assistance from the Albuquerque Civitans, students from Bhavana Upadhyaya’s and Anjana Mudambi’s communication classes at UNM and members of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc.
The Best Buddies Prom was a hit, thanks to local band Mr. Black and DJ Ricky Byrd who volunteered their time and talent to the success of the event.
The Best Buddies Prom made a difference in the lives of several students with IDD in New Mexico; it was truly a model for inclusion and highlighted the beauty of humanity at its best.
To view more of Pictures form the Best Buddies Prom, please join the Best Buddies New Mexico Facebook page.
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