The Best Buddies chapter at Gamble Rogers Middle School received a special recognition during the School Board Meeting on Tuesday, October 14, 2025.
Now in its fourth year at Gamble Rogers, the Best Buddies chapter continues to thrive and grow stronger each year. Gamble Rogers Middle School ESE teacher Lori DuFrain has been honored as Advisor of the Year twice, and the chapter has earned the title of North Florida’s Chapter of the Year for two consecutive years. Most impressively, this past year, the chapter was recognized by the organization’s founder, Anthony Shriver, with the Outstanding Chapter of the Year Award—earning the distinction of being the #1 Middle School Chapter in the entire state of Florida.
The Gamble Rogers Middle School Best Buddies members are creating meaningful change—not just within the school, but throughout the community—by participating in service projects that support local organizations in need.
Best Buddies is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering inclusion through one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, and leadership development programs for individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Founded in 1989, the organization works to eliminate the social, physical, and economic isolation experienced by people with IDD by promoting connection and belonging in schools, workplaces, and communities.
Congratulations to the Gamble Rogers Middle School Best Buddies Chapter!