As we close out our 10th anniversary blog, we are thrilled to feature a woman who has been an ambassador for Best Buddies since the beginning, Katie Cortelyou. Katie served as a founding member of the Best Buddies Indiana board and has been one of our most steadfast supporters. In addition to her service to Best Buddies Indiana, Katie also served a term on the Best Buddies International Board. Over the years, she traveled coast to coast spreading the mission of Best Buddies. Katie is an outstanding public speaker and on too many occasions to count, has take time off from her job at Community North Hospital to speak on behalf of Best Buddies and our mission of friendship and inclusion. Her travels have taken her to the Best Buddies International Ball in Potomac, Maryland and to Carmel, California, where she road side by side with Maria Shriver in the Best Buddies Hearst Castle Challenge. In addition, she has fired up the student representatives at the Best Buddies International Leadership Conference year after year, missing only one conference in 10 years!
Katie has been a true leader to the Best Buddies Indiana organization, our board and staff, and she is also an inspiration to people with Down syndrome and their families. Once a month, Katie volunteers at the St. Vincent Down Syndrome Clinic in Indianapolis and shares her story, giving hope to parents about the amazing opportunities that can exist for their children in the future. She has contributed so many wonderful ideas over the years and it is safe to say we would not be where we are today without Katie. Please take a moment to read about Katie's journey in her own words.
On behalf of all of us at Best Buddies, thank you, Katie, for your contributions. You are truly one in a million!
In Friendship,
Sarah Baldini
How did you become involved with Best Buddies?
I learned about Best Buddies when I was involved with the Down Syndrome Foundation of Indiana and it started the initiative of raising funds to open a Best Buddies office in Indiana. Once the BB office was opened, the assistant to the director asked if she could be my best buddy.
What is your favorite Best Buddies memory?
My favorite Best Buddies memory is being invited to sit on the Best Buddies Indiana Advisory Board and then to sit on the Best Buddies International Board of Directors. Because of these opportunities, I had the honor of getting to know Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Eunice Kennedy Shrive and Maria Shriver and I learned from them "how to give more to others and try to make a difference."
What are you doing today?
I have worked at Community North Hospital for 11 years, as a nurse's assistant, and I try to live what the Shriver's have taught me by volunteering for Dr. Escobar at St. Vincent's Down Syndrome Clinic, the Ladies Auxiliary of Noble of Indiana, and the BBIN Auxiliary.
What is one word that makes you think of Best Buddies?
Togetherness
