Throughout the year, Iona College’s chapter of Best Buddies brings students together with mentally handicapped people from the area.

Best Buddies is a national organization in which Iona College is a member. Run through the Center of Campus Ministries, Grace Romanelli is currently in charge of the Iona Chapter.

In October, Best Buddies participates in the Make a Difference Week kickball game. During the Christmas season, there is a Best Buddies party where Santa meets with the buddies. This semester, Best Buddies put on another great program, bringing the Iona community and the buddies together.

On March 29, Best Buddies put on a concert in the Murphy Auditorium featuring the Kandoo Band.

The Kandoo Band is a group of friends who came together to perform. They formed the band at the Nancy Goldberg’s Belvoir Terrace WS Music Camp in Lenox, MA. There are six members in the band, and all were born with Williams Syndrome.

Sporting Iona’s Best Buddies awareness shirts, the band played various popular songs from the last couple of years. One song they took on was Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Usually for singers, Adele is an artist that should be avoided at all costs. With the Kandoo Band’s energy and passion, they put on a great performance.

Throughout their entire performance, all six members were excited and happy to be playing for the Iona community.

At the end of the their first set, Iona’s own Ryan Olendorf and Sandy Hunter took the stage to play during intermission. Providing the intermission entertainment, Olendorf and Hunter performed several acoustic songs. They were laid back and at ease with the audience. Hunter was excited to be playing his banjo, showcasing the strap that he made for it.

The Best Buddies concert was easily one of the best-attended events on Iona’s campus. While there were some empty seats in Murphy Auditorium, the majority were filled enthusiastically. On top of this, many in the audience wore Iona’s Best Buddies shirts, supporting the cause and the program here at Iona.

For those who wanted to purchase a shirt, Best Buddies was selling them outside the auditorium. Phi Sigma Sigma also had a table located outside the auditorium, raising awareness about the need to end the “r” word when speaking about people with mental disabilities.

Sisters of Phi Sigma Sigma handed out fact sheets and had a banner for those banning the word to sign

Iona in Mission’s New Mexico team also held a bake sale to raise money for their trip and provide the audience with snacks during the intermission.

Despite these other two organizations, no attention was drawn away from Best Buddies or their concert. The Kandoo Band was a big hit, giving the organization another successful event at Iona College. If interested in becoming more involved with Best Buddies, visit the Center for Campus Ministries located on the second floor of LaPenta.