Team Maria is Moving Forward!
The last five years have been an extraordinary journey. Our team has been a labor of love and together, we’ve been fueled by the gift of Best Buddies. As I reflect on where we’ve been, I can’t help but think about the fabulous friends and family and fantastic companies that power Team Maria. Together, we’ve raised over $4.9 million for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We’ve been inspired by the simple and powerful act of friendship and have ridden thousands of miles as a team because together we know that we can make a difference in the world. But there’s still a long distance to go. So, as we enter this next phase, I’m thrilled to announce a new attitude, look, and slogan for our team. Get ready Team Maria as we’re Moving Forward Together to continue supporting Best Buddies, strengthening friendships and most importantly, changing hearts and minds to help build a more accepting world for people with IDD. On September 6, 2014, Team Maria will take on the 11th annual Best Buddies Challenge: Hearst Castle to ride along California’s breathtaking coastline in style. With less than 4 months to go until the ride, it’s time to get registered, start training, and ramp up your fundraising efforts.
Follow these simple steps to reconnect with us to start making a difference, change lives and have a lot of fun:
1. Sign-up – Register now for the 2014 Best Buddies Challenge: Hearst Castle here to get the Team Maria discount rate. With 36 riders currently signed-up, our goal is to reach 55 riders by the end of the month. If you sign-up during the month of June, you will receive two complimentary tickets to our annual Team Maria Benefit at the Montage Beverly Hills on Sunday, July 13.
2. Join the conversation – Checkout the new and improved Team Maria website, friend us on Facebook and follow @TeamMaria_HCC. Please share your team memories and photos and updates on your fundraising efforts. We want to hear from you. We want to support you in your work to support Best Buddies.
3. Tell your story – What inspires you about Best Buddies? Why are you a member of Team Maria? How will you help the team move forward? Check-out what other members of Team Maria had to say. Message us if you’re interested in submitting a profile.
4. Motivate others to get engaged – Encourage your family members, friends, neighbors and/or co-workers to join Team Maria so they can experience for themselves the team’s fun, spirit and passion. If they cannot join the team this year, perhaps they can make a donation.
This year will be the best one yet.