Best Buddies - Dedicated to supporting people with IDD

Jon Ganci is the Director of Michigan Advancement for Best Buddies in Michigan. His role is to oversee state operations and expand programs, including 1-1 Friendship Chapters, Job Opportunities, and leadership opportunities across the state. He has spent the last three years with Best Buddies and has worked in the nonprofit space for over a decade, primarily in Chicago and the Detroit Area. Jon is a Michigan State alum and lives in Ferndale.

Lydia Goff is the Lead Program Manager for Best Buddies in Michigan. Her role is to support current Friendship chapters across the state and work with teachers and advisers to establish new chapters, creating more inclusive environments in Michigan schools. While she has been in her role for less than a year, Lydia has been involved with Best Buddies since High School, serving as her school’s chapter president and later as president of the University of Michigan chapter. She is also a former member of the Best Buddies in Michigan advisory board.  She currently lives in Ann Arbor.

Best Buddies is the world’s largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical, and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The IDD community includes, but is not limited to, people with Down syndrome, autism, Fragile X, Williams syndrome, and other undiagnosed disabilities. Our programs empower people with IDD to form meaningful friendships with their peers, secure jobs, improve communication and advocacy skills, and live independently, while also offering support for their families. Learn more at BestBuddies.org