Best Buddies California Buddy Ambassador Trainings

Best Buddies California’s two offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco held incredibly successful Buddy Ambassador Trainings on Saturday, March 10.  In total, there were 20 Buddy Ambassadors trained on Saturday and 24 Speech Coaches that volunteered their time to coach the ambassadors in writing and presenting their speeches.

Our Volunteer Speech Coaches assist our Ambassadors with getting their ideas onto paper

In San Francisco, Program Manager Katelyn Bollenbacher and Program Supervisor Shelly Helgeson facilitated the training.  In Los Angeles, the entire BBCA office came out to support our Ambassadors during the training.  For the first time, our entire Los Angeles Ambassadors training was comprised of Jobs participants. 

The morning consisted of speech writing and public speaking workshops that included sessions on brainstorming topics, speech structure, and presentation styles. Then in the afternoon, Buddy Ambassadors worked one-on-one with Speech Coaches to develop their own personal speeches.  

At the end of the day, each Ambassador delivered their speeches.  The progress the Ambassadors’ made from the early morning sessions to the actual presentation of their speeches was an incredible sight to behold!  Each of the speeches was unique and subjects ranged from the Hearst Castle Challenge, disability awareness, ending the use of the r-word, the importance of having a job, how joining Best Buddies has changed their life, marriage equality, and leadership in Best Buddies Friendship Chapters.  

  

In Los Angeles, Lisa K. and Dan R. both worked on speeches that they plan to give at Best Buddies Friendship Walks.  Lisa was a top fundraiser last year and her speech this year focuses on how anyone can accomplish anything if they set goals and work hard.  The Best Buddies Southern California Friendship Walk is April 21. Dan R. will be speaking at the Best Buddies New York Friendship Walk, alongside his father.  Dan’s parents, Marilyn and Ronald Rotter, are bi-coastal, living in both Los Angeles and New York, and are very involved with both Best Buddies state offices.  Jobs participant Bradley G. added antidotal humor into his speech, telling the audience about how he had to learn how to cook a turkey which was a gift from his employer, Paradigm Talent Agency, for the holidays.  And Michael G. spoke about the remarkable progress he’s made at Mannat, Phelps & Phillips, where he started working only 12 hours per week and now works full-time and receives benefits.

  

Bradley, Buddy Ambassador, Looks over his speech

In San Francisco, John Hammond, a Buddy Ambassador and officer from the USF chapter of Best Buddies, gave a speech targeted at his fellow adults with disabilities, providing advice on how to make meaningful friendships.  Sharon Jones, an Ambassador from the USF chapter of Best Buddies, focused on her many abilities despite being in a wheelchair. She talked in-depth about the satisfaction she gets from working for the San Francisco Giants and also serving as a mentor to students with disabilities at Mission High School.  Gian Portuguez, a Buddy Ambassador from Lowell High School, spoke about his aspirations for the future which included going to college and singing the national anthem at a Giants baseball game. Danny Guthrie from Foothill High School gave a call to action, inviting everyone to participate in this year’s Best Buddies Bay Area Friendship Walk on April 28. He attended last year and enjoyed himself so much, he wanted to make sure even more people attended this year! 

These are just a few highlights from our truly inspiring Buddy Ambassadors.  If you’d like to have an Ambassador speak at your school, organization, or employer, contact your Best Buddies CA office for more information.

Los Angeles Buddy Ambassadors

Special thanks to Accenture who donated their beautiful office space on the twelfth floor of a downtown San Francisco skyscraper for the training that impressed attendees with views of the San Francisco Bay and the East Bay Bridge. 

Accenture Welcomes Best Buddies CA to the Bay Area Training