BBUT is excited to share with you that Julie Arthur has accepted the Best Buddies Utah State Director position. Julie comes to Best Buddies with a successful career in sales and marketing and a lifetime of volunteer fundraising experience. Julie has worked with the York Area Down Syndrome Association, American Diabetes Association and Kiwanis/Circle K International. As a non-native community volunteer in Pennsylvania, Julie created a team that raised more money than any other local special needs fundraising event in York County and helped launch a cheerleading program for youth with IDD. After her family’s move to Utah 2 years ago, she jumped in with both feet into the disability community and chaired the Second Annual Walk with Angels for children with disabilities, setting a large goal that more than doubled the amount the committee believed they could raise.
As a mother of a 13-year-old child with Down Syndrome, Julie is a passionate advocate for rights and opportunities for people with cognitive disabilities. She is very excited about the opportunities for Best Buddies in Utah, because in her words, “I am painfully aware of the loneliness that can occur when our children reach school age, then teenage and adult years. But I am also a witness to the amazing transformation that occurs when we enable our children to live out their dreams and ambitions, included in daily life, in social and recreational activities and given educational and employment opportunities. I have heard time and again how my child, and others with similar (dis)abilities, has enriched the lives of ‘typical’ children and adults in class, on the playground, at work and in the community.” It is this personal connection that fuels Julie’s enthusiasm for our mission and her determination to “take the amazing and growing program that is Best Buddies Utah to new heights”.
We are really glad to have Julie as part of the BBUT team!
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