XERS! Hi. It’s Ryan, your Best Buddies. After this year, what I look forward to most for the holidays is being with family. I am on the road and constantly busy, so having this time to slow down and share moments with those most important to me is everything. Food is always the way to bring people together! And I am hungry.

Thankful is a great word to use. Thankful for the opportunity to spend time with you, to travel, to share memories with my family, and to help grow what’s possible in Peoria. Happy Thanksgiving! If there is one thing I try my best to do, it’s practice gratitude. Bob Woolsey at Jones Bros has been wonderful leader for me here. Thanks Bob. I appreciate the time you share to help others around you realize what’s important.

I also want to thank The Yard-Peoria and Sun Collectors for being amazing partners for Best Buddies mission of inclusion this year. You can’t ask for better supporters who truly care about the community they serve.

Which leads me to small-business Saturday. If you aren’t aware, it’s a day you are encouraged to support local businesses for the holidays. After the box chains get your Black-Friday dollars, it’s up to us to make sure we spend some of our holiday dollars locally. The more we do that, the more we succeed.

Then next Tuesday, it’s Giving Tuesday. This has become an important date for non-profit organizations around the world. With any leftover dollars you might have saved on great deals, consider supporting a non-profit in Central Illinois. There are many great ones! Outside of what I do, I have helped support Easterseals, CASA, PCAPs, St. Jude, Peoria Friendship House, and Make-A-Wish.

As I mentioned, there are many. I am a major advocate for Best Buddies mission of inclusion. Supporting people with disabilities to live fulfilling lives has become my passion. Through our pillars, Best Buddies helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities make great friends, find quality jobs, and become leaders and advocates for inclusion and accessibility in our communities.

While I would love for you to donate to Best Buddies, my main hope is that you can help support one of the amazing non-profits on Giving Tuesday. If your company matches, it could mean and even better opportunity for change with the group you support.

Grateful and thankful. I am grateful for the support I have received over the years. And extremely thankful for the amazing work non-profit organizations are doing to better our community!