July 13, 2011 - HOPe partnered with Best Buddies, an international non-profit dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, in their efforts to travel across the country to promote social acceptance. We collaborated with Best Buddies in preparing an educational presentation in the endeavor to “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign. Their presentation advocates for people with disabilities and the importance of recognizing the beauty in them so that we may create a more inclusive society that allows them to achieve their full potential and contribute to society effectively. The road trip was 11 weeks long, and included stops in 35 different states. The goal at each stop was to get to know people from all over the country while promoting a new way of thinking - one that recognizes the potential, not the disability, in those whom we come in contact with on a daily basis.

Sam, K and Sarah came to HOPe to take a few pictures and conduct a few interviews and ended up staying for two days and painting our wall of HOPe! Now that shows the power of collaboration!