Group honors volunteers for work on inclusion
Best Buddies New Mexico is recognizing three volunteers for their outstanding contributions toward its mission to create friendships and employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The 2017 Spirit of Inclusion Awards presentation will be part of Best Buddies’ Big Bright Breakfast at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 28, at the Albuquerque Marriott Hotel, 2101 Louisiana NE. The event will include a fashion show highlighting the talents of Best Buddies volunteers and supporters and a speech by former Special Olympics athlete Katie Meade, who became the first woman with Down Syndrome to become a model when she was chosen in 2016 to be the spokesmodel for the new hair care line Beauty & Pin-Ups.
Best Buddies New Mexico is part of an international nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for one-on-one friendships, job opportunities and leadership training for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It has about 700 volunteers active in 17 chapters in schools in Santa Fe, Rio Rancho, Albuquerque and Las Cruces. New chapters are planned for schools in Moriarty, said program manager Amanda Munk.
“It’s all about friendship,” Munk said.
This is the second year Best Buddies New Mexico has presented the Spirit of Inclusion Awards. The recipients this year are:
■ Spirit of Inclusion Friendship Award; Christopher Chavez, 17, Manzano High School Junior who is the Best Buddies chapter president at his school.
Chavez was nominated for the award by Christine Castillo, a special education teacher at Manzano High School. He has represented Best Buddies New Mexico at two international Leadership Conferences. He has given presentations at local leadership trainings for his peers and has also directed a video featuring three of his classmates with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD.)
■ Spirit of Inclusion Employment Award; Patty Duplessis, director of human resources at Embassy Suites hotel in Albuquerque.
Duplessis was nominated by Alex Rios, an employment consultant with Best Buddies New Mexico’s Project SEARCH, an internship program that gives young adults with disabilities, ages 18-21, the opportunity to learn job skills to help them gain employment. Duplessis was instrumental in the Embassy Suites hiring five former Project SEARCH
interns.
■ Spirit of Inclusion Leadership Award; Mikoyan (Mik) Salganek, 23, a Best Buddies Ambassador.
Best Buddies New Mexico State Director Michael Gemme nominated Salganek, who has been active in school friendship programs, job programs and has been an advocate for his peers with IDD. He has attended leadership conferences, spoken at leadership training sessions and has been active on numerous Best Buddies committees.
“Mik is a talented and motivated guy, a great friend and a great leader!” Gemme said in his nomination statement.