Joey Coleman, a participant in the Best Buddies program, fills a bag with apples. (Photos by Julie Moberly)

More than 300 participants in the Best Buddies Massachusetts program gathered in the meadows and apple trees of the Little Rascals Orchard last Saturday to pick apples, take a hayride, and spend a sunny fall afternoon in the sun with friends and family. Best Buddies, a program that matches people with intellectual disabilities with those without them, is an international organization with more than 5,000 members in Massachusetts alone. Founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, the mission of Best Buddies is to enhance the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities to mainstream into society via one-on-one friendships and integrated employment.

Rachel Stock, Special Event and Development Coordinator for Best Buddies Massachusetts, said that both people in the match benefit from the friendship. Those without intellectual disabilities learn to value the different gifts that people who have them possess, she said, and those who are challenged are happy to have a friend help them navigate an often difficult world.

“The goal of the event at Little Rascals was to bring new friendships together and continue old friendships,” Stock said.

Saturday’s crowd was composed of Best Buddies of all ages and abilities from all over the state. A highlight of the event was the appearance of Miss Massachusetts, Despina Delios, who spoke to the crowd after an introduction by Stock.

Best Buddies Massachusetts operates six different programs: Best Buddies Middle Schools, Best Buddies High Schools, Best Buddies Colleges, Best Buddies Citizens, Best Buddies Jobs, and e-Buddies. The first four programs pair people with intellectual disabilities with students or people in the civic or corporate community. Best Buddies Jobs is a supported employment program that secures paying jobs for people with intellectual disabilities by working with employers, as well as offering training and ongoing support. As its name implies, e-Buddies pairs people of the same age and gender with similar interests for online friendships.

Mechanics aside, the program in motion in the fields of the Little Rascals Orchard showed what the program is really all about: people caring about each other.

George Kizito of Cooperative for Human Services in Burlington helps Cheryl Woodis.	Leah Tulin and Wayne Curcci, truly best buddies, cross the meadow at Little Rascals Orchard.

Miss Massachusetts, Despina Delios, chats with Audrey Pacca, Best Buddies Massachusetts state director.