Best Buddies Empowerment for People with Intellectual Disabilities
Floor Speech
BEST BUDDIES EMPOWERMENT FOR PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES ACT OF 2009 -- (House of Representatives - April 22, 2009)
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Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his kind comments. The gentleman from New York is very generous.
I want to thank my friend from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) with whom I served on the House Administration Committee for many years; and also, of course, my dear friend, one of the Republican leaders in this House, Mr. Blunt, who has cosponsored this legislation with me. It so happens my name is first, but Mr. Blunt and I have worked on this effort together, because we both believe it's a very important one for our country and for all of those who are advantaged by this program.
I am proud, therefore, to speak in favor of this bill supporting Best Buddies, an organization, as Mr. Ehlers has pointed out, dedicated to the social integration of children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
It was founded some 20 years ago by Anthony Kennedy Shriver. Best Buddies is the first social and recreational program of its kind in the United States. It has already reached hundreds of thousands of Americans, both with and without disabilities, a total that is set to reach a half a million by 2010.
Best Buddies, Mr. Speaker, fosters and supports friendships and mentorships between participants from kindergartners to adult professionals, sponsoring more than 1,000 volunteer-led chapters at schools and workplaces.
Not only do volunteers learn leadership training, they learn firsthand about the important contributions made by their fellow citizens with intellectual disabilities. Participants with disabilities learn that they are valuable members of our communities, capable of forming a wide range of real and lasting friendships.
This legislation authorizes a total of $10 million for grants, contracts or cooperative agreements to be distributed to Best Buddies by the Department of Education in fiscal year 2010, along with such sums as may be necessary for each of the four succeeding fiscal years.
These funds will enable this important organization to reach hundreds of thousands more potential volunteers and participants, promoting the crucial values of shared participation and community and social equality.
All of us will be advantaged by this program, not those immediate participants alone, but all of those whose communities will be better places for the participation of those directly involved in Best Buddies.
I want to thank Congressman Blunt for cosponsoring this bill. He and I worked together for many years on this effort, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
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