Join Team Tom Brady In Support of Best Buddies International

MIAMI, Jan. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Best Buddies International is pleased to announce that Tom Brady, Quarterback for the AFC Champion New England Patriots, has agreed to lead Team Tom Brady in this year's Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port, presented by Country Kitchen, on June 2.  The Challenge is a walk, run and cycle fundraiser benefitting Best Buddies, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for one-to-one friendship, integrated employment and leadership training for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

In order to mark the occasion, Best Buddies will hold a Team Tom Brady Kick-Off Party in Boston on Thursday, January 26.  The first 300 people who sign up to participate in the Challenge as part of Team Tom Brady and pledge to raise a certain amount of money will have the opportunity to get a photo taken with him on Thursday.  To join Team Tom Brady, please visit www.teamtombrady.org (participants who qualify to attend the Party will receive an invitation with additional details via email).

Brady, a Best Buddies Global Ambassador, will also return as Honorary Chairman of the Challenge, which is open to participants of all ages and abilities and is designed to showcase the Best Buddies mission in action. Challenge participants can choose to take part in a picturesque 100-mile ride from Boston to Hyannis Port, a 50 or 20-mile cycling route, a 5K run or a 3K walk. The Challenge kicks-off with the Tom Brady Football Challenge at Harvard Stadium on June 1, during which Brady will play quarterback alongside Best Buddies program participants and supporters. It concludes with a celebratory clambake and private concert.

"We are thrilled that Tom has agreed to lead Team Tom Brady for the 13th Annual Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port, which we hope will be our most successful one yet," said Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Founder and Chairman of Best Buddies International.  "His unwavering commitment to our mission of inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities makes him a true champion in our eyes, both on and off the field.  We are looking forward not only to Thursday's kick-off event, but also to cheering Tom on in the Super Bowl. Go Patriots!"

About Best Buddies International

Best Buddies® is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant organization that has grown from one original chapter to almost 1,500 middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Today, Best Buddies' seven formal programs – Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies® , Jobs and Ambassadors – engage participants in each of the 50 states and in 50 countries, positively impacting the lives of nearly 700,000 people with and without disabilities around the world. As a result of their involvement with Best Buddies, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities secure rewarding jobs, live on their own, become inspirational leaders, and make lifelong friendships. For more information, please visit www.bestbuddies.org, facebook.com/bestbuddies, twitter.com/bestbuddies.

For additional information on, or to join Team Tom Brady, please visit www.teamtombrady.org or contact Michael Collins at [email protected] or 617-790-5342.

For media inquiries, please contact Jennifer Hanlon at [email protected], 305.374.2233, x 245 or 305.898.9982 (mobile).

SOURCE Best Buddies International