Best Buddies and Unified Bocce Raise Over $3,000 for Special Olympics

Members of Pine-Richland High School Best Buddies club and Unified Bocce team raised $3,145 for Special Olympics Pennsylvania, culminating in their participation in the Pittsburgh Polar Plunge February 23 at Acrisure Stadium. Pine-Richland’s 35 participants were sponsored by family, friends and colleagues.

More than $196,000 was raised by participating schools in the 2024 Cool Schools Three Rivers Region. 

The Best Buddies program helps to build one-to-one friendships between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), offering social interactions while improving the quality of life and level of inclusion for a population that is often isolated and excluded. Through their participation, people with IDD form meaningful connections with their peers, gain self-confidence and self-esteem, and share interests, experiences and activities that many other individuals enjoy. Similarly, Pine-Richland's Unified Bocce team pairs two Special Olympics athletes with two unified partners, helping to promote inclusion, acceptance and respect.