Assumption’s Best Buddies Chapter Wins 2024 Outstanding MA College Chapter of the Year Award

Assumption University’s Best Buddies chapter has been named the 2024 Outstanding Massachusetts College Chapter of the Year by Best Buddies of MA & RI. Best Buddies is a global nonprofit organization that seeks to have a positive impact on the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) by providing support, empowerment, and connection with others. 

“This award means so much because it demonstrates to our entire team that our passion for this chapter and everyone involved in it is the driving force to success,” said Juliana Brien ’25, Co-President of the Assumption Best Buddies chapter. “Nothing will ever beat the smiles we see at our meetings and events, but this award does give us the validation that the work we do for our chapter is paying off.” 

“Winning this award is a huge accomplishment. It shows that what we do is being noticed and we’re having an effect on the people we work with,” said Cara Melchionne ’25, who is Co-President with Brien. “However, we could win all the awards possible and it still wouldn’t beat the smiling faces, hugs, and long lasting memories that are made with our buddies.” 

Assumption’s Best Buddies chapter collaborates with local programs in order to bring together the Assumption and Worcester communities with inclusive events and programming to help those with disabilities thrive. 

The chapter holds a variety of events each academic year for community members, including bi-weekly meetings, weekend events, and a Friendship Ball, which was first held this year. The meetings are each themed based on the time of year, including activities for chapter members to participate in; for example, for St. Patrick’s Day, the Best Buddies executives held a themed scavenger hunt in the Kennedy Memorial Building.

The chapter also works with various athletic teams on campus and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which provides opportunities for the chapter and their buddies to participate in SAAC events, such as their annual “trunk-or-treat” event, for buddies to attend a football practice, and even for one of the buddies to sing the national anthem at a women’s basketball game. 

“I know our chapter is making a difference,” said Brien. “Whether it comes from the joy on the facial expressions from students and buddies, or the verbal words from parents who tell us how happy their child is at our meetings, we know that the work that we put into this chapter is doing exactly what it is meant to do: to help the buddies and students thrive and connect.” 

“When people ask me what Best Buddies is, I tell them they have to experience a meeting or an event for themselves,” said Melchionne. “When these people leave our meetings with the biggest smiles on their faces saying how much they enjoyed themselves, it warms my heart. Not only is Best Buddies about providing a great experience for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, but it’s also about changing the way neurotypical people view the world of disabilities. We’re all the same at the end of the day.” 

Both Brien and Melchionne have been a part of Assumption’s Best Buddies chapter since their first year at the University, with both immediately becoming dedicated and involved members of the chapter. The 2024-2025 academic year will be their second year as co-presidents of the chapter.

Melchionne has been involved with the Best Buddies organization “quite literally since the day [she] was born,” as she would attend events with her older sister, Carmen, who has Down syndrome. However, when she got to high school, her school did not have a Best Buddies chapter. 

“When searching for colleges, one of the main things that drew me to Assumption was the fact that they had a Best Buddies chapter,” she said. “I knew I was going to get involved right away…I was so excited to be a part of planning events and working one on one with the buddies. I couldn’t imagine my life at Assumption without Best Buddies.” 

Brien became involved with Best Buddies first at Assumption, which has enriched both her college experience and her life.

“I absolutely fell in love with the entire program and knew I had to be a part of it,” she said. “I have an 11-year-old nephew who is blind and has a wide range of varying special needs, so becoming involved with Best Buddies not only helped me fall deeper in love with Assumption’s chapter and its members, but also allowed me to dive deeper into the world that my nephew lives in every day…I developed an even greater appreciation for all of the amazing things he accomplishes each day.”

Brien and Melchionne are looking towards the future of the chapter, as they will both be seniors this upcoming academic year. Both co-presidents are excited to keep growing the chapter and to share their work more widely with the Assumption community, and are confident that even as their graduation date approaches in 2025, the chapter will continue to thrive.

“We are always looking to grow our chapter, our knowledge, our passions, and everything in between,” said Brien. “We want to do everything in our power to prepare the next leg of leaders who will take over this chapter; we have a phenomenal executive team, who I know will do an excellent job at continuing the success of this chapter, and I am confident in their ability to push ahead.”

To learn more about the Assumption Best Buddies Chapter and to get involved, find them @bestbuddiesassumptionu on Instagram or reach out to George Kuntz, Director of Student Engagement and Leadership.