Best Buddies Friendship Walk

By Ella Paul, 2024

Published 5/5/22

This past Sunday, May 1st, the Connecticut Best Buddies Friendship Walk occurred at the Yard Goats stadium in Hartford. This marked the first in-person Friendship Walk since the COVID Pandemic, and schools and organizations were elated to be able to attend after the two years of virtual walk events. The Friendship Walk is one of CT Best Buddies´ biggest fundraisers of the year, this year earning $58,407.93, with Cheshire High School Best Buddies contributing $775.00 of that.

The actual walk began at 10 am, but previous to it there were a variety of activities around the stadium including a small petting zoo, a mini-golf course, tables with snacks, and crafts. There were many university teams there in support of Best Buddies including the Easter Connecticut State University cheerleaders, the Quinnipiac Men's basketball team, and other volunteers from Quinnipiac. Just before the walk, participants gathered to hear various board members speak, a representative of Pfizer (one of the sponsors of the walk), and the Champion of the Year (Best Buddies title for someone with special needs).

For the actual walk, participants followed a few leaders onto the actual Yard Goats Field and completed three laps around the field with their groups. Along the way, participants were cheering each other on and excited to be with one another in support of such a wonderful cause.