When Molly Whalen stepped into her role as State Director for Best Buddies Virginia and D.C., she brought with her a personal and professional mission: to ensure that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have every opportunity to thrive.
Best Buddies is the world’s largest organization dedicated to ending isolation for individuals with IDD. Across Virginia and D.C., the program now serves more than 4,000 members through four pillars: friendship, employment, leadership development, and community living.
“We want to make sure that people with disabilities have the right to friendship, the right to meaningful work, and the right to lead,” Whalen says.
At the heart of Best Buddies is its friendship program, pairing people with and without disabilities for one-to-one connections. These aren’t casual meetups, they’re lasting relationships built on respect and mutual joy.
“Sometimes families think it’s just a way for students to get service hours, but that’s not the case,” Whalen explains. “You don’t get volunteer hours for being someone’s friend. This is about creating genuine, meaningful friendships.”
Schools play a central role in carrying the mission forward. In McLean and Langley, the Best Buddies chapters are considered among the strongest in the country. Each one is student-led, with young people with disabilities serving as leaders alongside their peers.
Best Buddies is also helping adults with IDD achieve something that can transform their lives: a steady job. Through its employment program, members are matched with competitive positions in law firms, theaters, corporations, and nonprofits.
Job coaches support the process from start to finish, from preparing résumés to navigating interviews to learning new workplace routines. Once in place, the benefits extend far beyond a paycheck. “I’m a believer that there is a job for everyone,” Whalen says. “When somebody has a job, the doors are just all open. They can be connected. It’s just a really rich and full life.”
Leadership development is another cornerstone of the organization. Best Buddies empowers participants with IDD to take the stage, sometimes literally, as advocates for themselves and others. Through training, workshops, and public speaking opportunities, members gain the skills and confidence to influence their schools, workplaces, and communities.
“These programs are designed to elevate voices,” Whalen says. “The young people and adults we work with aren’t just participants—they’re leaders shaping the future.”
The fourth pillar, community living, focuses on helping adults with IDD live full and independent lives. From learning daily living skills to exploring housing options, the program supports members in taking the steps that give them greater control over their futures.
Parents often worry about the “cliff”, what happens when school-based services end. Best Buddies works to bridge that gap by offering members the tools to live, work, and connect with others as they enter adulthood.
In a season dedicated to gratitude, Whalen points to the daily wins she sees in her work. A student making their first true friend. A new employee thriving in their first job. A young adult speaking confidently at an event. Each moment reflects the larger mission.
“I tell the team I’m so grateful,” Whalen says. “The true strength of each of them, and our collective work, is knowing that the programs in the mission of Best Buddies grow stronger when we pass it forward.”
And for families who once feared an uncertain future, those programs are a reason to give thanks. “It’s really easy to be friendly to someone who’s different from you,” Whalen reminds. “It’s easy to give a smile. It’s easy to say hello. But we have to kind of make it conscious.”
The true strength of our work is knowing we pass it forward.
You don’t get volunteer hours for being friends.