Deer Park High School’s Best Buddies Chapter won big at the Best Buddies Leadership Conference. They were named “Most Outstanding’ chapter.
Seven students – Alexis Borowski, Bailey Corcoran, Aubrey Goetz, Carysn Goetz, Chloe Luby, Sophia Paduano and Eve Valentine – traveled to Indiana University Bloomington to attend the annual Best Buddies Leadership Conference.
Best Buddies in New York offers one-to-one friendship, integrated employment, and leadership development programs for individuals with and without disabilities. There are 254 chapters with over 7,000 participants across New York State.
Best Buddies New York says, “Best Buddies gives people with special abilities a chance to make friends, speak up, be heard and advocate for themselves and others within their community.”
Deer Park Best Buddies Chapter hosted the Long Island Best Buddies Friendship Ball this year. They also attended other Best Buddies events across Long Island such as the Best Buddies Friendship Walk and the Best Buddies Boo Ball around Halloween. The club meets every two weeks and each meeting involves some an activity, such as collaborating with other clubs or attending school events.
Best Buddies leaders from around the world along with volunteers and community advocates gathered at the conference to empower the future of the disability rights and inclusion movement.
The Deer Park students returned home with triumphant news that they had won the New York State Most Outstanding Chapter Award for 2025, a prestigious honor celebrating the dedication to inclusion and friendship for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The award was presented to Deer Park’s student representatives by Best Buddies founder Anthony Kennedy Shriver.
Once they were back at home, the Deer Park chapter was also honored at the Babylon Town Hall by Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer and Councilman Terence McSweeney for their “outstanding efforts and impact within the community”. A small group from Best Buddies attended the Town Hall ceremony to receive recognition for all of their efforts.
“We are forever grateful for the support that is shown for our chapter in the Deer Park School District and the Deer Park community,” Best Buddies co-advisers Joe Alo and Gabriella Gilmartin said. “It is this support and the number of dedicated students that we have the opportunity to work with each school year that truly makes this chapter incredible. We look forward to all of the great events and buddies we will make along the way to 2026 and beyond.”