Five schools from Crown Point Community School Corporation raised more than $10,000 for the annual Best Buddies Friendship Walk of Lake County. All five schools placed in the top ten teams for most funds raised in the Northwest Indiana region. 

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). Those individuals include, but are not limited to, people with Down syndrome, autism, Fragile X, Williams syndrome, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and other undiagnosed disabilities.

Despite the chilly weather for late April, more than 175 students, teachers, and their families came out to celebrate the funds they raised and the work of Best Buddies. Most of the funds were raised via direct donations on personal or school pages online. 

Totals raised at each school:

• CPHS: $2,515

• Eisenhower: $5,375

• MacArthur: $1,390

• Winfield: $100

• Jerry Ross: $920

To learn more about Best Buddies, contact the sponsor at each school listed above or visit the Best Buddies website at www.bestbuddies.org.