“What does friendship mean to you?”

These words floated onto my screen when I visited the website for Best Buddies, an organization that fosters one-on-one friendships and integrated employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Harvard residents as well as folks from the surrounding area will have a chance to explore this question further at the Best Buddies Festival Saturday, Sept. 27 at Little Rascals Farm on Ayer Road. The festival will feature apple-picking, hayrides, games, and a yet-be-announced musical guest.

The Best Buddies Festival is an event for people with intellectual disabilities to connect with friends, family, and volunteers, see a lot of fresh faces, have a ton of laughs, and enjoy some fun activities in a beautiful outdoor setting. The festival celebrates Best Buddies’ mission of inclusion and opens the door to anyone interested in learning about and supporting this special cause. Three hundred people showed up at last year’s festival.

In a recent interview, Rachel Stock from Best Buddies related an illuminating story about Buddies and Buddy volunteers:

A Best Buddy volunteer wrote to a Buddy who was at a sleepover camp one summer, and was confused when, after some time, she got no response. She later went to visit her Buddy and asked her if she had received the letter, and why she hadn’t replied. The Buddy took her into her room, where, displayed on the wall and decorated with stickers, was the unopened letter. This was the first time the Buddy had received a letter, and she had no idea what to do with it.

Best Buddies recognizes just how crucial friendship can be, not just for our enjoyment of life, but for our development of essential life skills. It is especially important for people with intellectual disabilities.

Intellectual disabilities include such diagnoses as Down Syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, and fragile X. These disabilities affect 6.2 to 7.5 million people in the U.S, according to the 1990 census.

In the years since its inception in 1989, Best Buddies has grown into a well-respected international organization with chapters in middle schools, high schools, and on college campuses. The organization is active at nearby Nashoba Regional High School and Acton-Boxborough Regional High School; new chapters spring up every year.

For more information about Best Buddies visit www.bestbuddies.org.