Special education teacher Meg Heidrick-Barnes found out she raised $14,150 during the Best Buddies donations campaign, Nov. 13. This year was the first time Heidrick-Barnes participated in the Best Buddies Champion of the Year campaign in 22 years. She was crowned the San Diego Best Buddies Grand Champion of the Year at the Tides of Togetherness Gala at Cape Rey Carlsbad Beach.
Through gift baskets, silent auctions, money and toy donations, and more, Heidrick-Barnes was able to raise more money than all other Best Buddies Champion candidates in San Diego.
“When they called my name, I was like ‘Woah, how did that happen?’” Heidrick-Barnes said. “There was no way I expected $14,000 to be donated through my campaign.”
Heidrick-Barnes attributes her win to her family, friends, campaign manager, and mission partner.
“I had some wonderful support; people in the community and people at school, my friends, and my family, all donated to help because they know that Best Buddies is important,” Heidrick-Barnes said. “My Campaign Manager, Suzanne Arroyo-McGuire, and my Mission Partner, Dawn Yocum, were the people who kept me going.”
When she started working at Westview in its first year, she did not know much about the Best Buddies programs. Throughout the years, she has seen the club grow.
“When I first started working at Westview, I was contacted by someone from the Best Buddies [program] in San Diego,” Heidrick-Barnes said. “And though I didn’t know anything about Best Buddies then, we found ways to get better each year.”
As she got more familiar with the program, Heidrick-Barnes advocated for more connection between her students and their buddies.
“It’s very easy for students who are in special education to be very isolated and not connected to the rest of the school,” Heidrick-Barnes said. “That is why our club has been about trying to get everybody connected and involved, not just to each other, but also to the school and their community.”
The money Heidrick-Barnes raised goes towards Heidrick-Barnes’ goal of continuing the growth of Best Buddies programs in San Diego.
“The whole focus of the fundraiser is to add more clubs throughout elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as colleges,” Heidrick-Barnes said.
More specifically, Best Buddies is looking to establish a new program in San Diego.
“There is this new project called ‘Eunie’s Buddies’ that just started this year, and is named so to honor Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who is the founder of Special Olympics,” Heidrick-Barnes said.
Eunie’s Buddies program is a parent-support program where parents whose child received an intellectual or developmental disability diagnosis can get in contact with other parents.
“It’s to help them know that they are not alone, and to help them deal with all of the emotions and feelings that come with the first diagnosis,” Heidrick-Barnes said.
As the club continues to grow, Heidrick-Barnes can see the connections it fosters continue beyond Westview.
“Best Buddies means a lot, not just to the person who has a buddy, but also to everyone that that person touches,” Heidrick-Barnes said. “Then people who are involved in Best Buddies go out into the world and change it for the better.”
According to Heidrick-Barnes, the most fulfilling outcome of Best Buddies came not just from the connections made, but the message it sends to all of the buddies involved.
“People really start to see that we are more alike than we are different,” Heidrick-Barnes said. “We can celebrate who we are.”
