Five Questions With: Matthew Netto

Matthew Netto has been the state director of Best Buddies Rhode Island since October 2013. The nonprofit drives a global volunteer movement intended to create opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Best Buddies today has friendship programs for students with and without disabilities in 23 middle schools, high schools and colleges across the state. Netto is also president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Rhode Island chapter. Here he discusses his tenure at and development of the nonprofit.

PBN: In the two years you have been state director for Best Buddies Rhode Island, what do you consider your most important accomplishment and why?
NETTO:
Over the past two years we have opened 10 new friendship program chapters in Rhode Island middle schools, high schools and colleges. In doing this, we have almost doubled our membership from 750 to 1,300 students. This expansion allows us to spread our mission to new communities and help to bring social inclusion and leadership development to more students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

PBN: Which of the nonprofit chapter’s seven programs needs to be developed to better serve Rhode Islanders?
NETTO:
We are happy to announce that after two years of hard work and planning we are going to be able to launch a citizens program in Rhode Island in 2016. Our friendship program focuses mainly on school-aged children and young adults. The citizens program is an adult friendship program that will match adults with and without disabilities in one-to-one friendships. This was a major area of focus for us because we didn’t have good adult programming here in Rhode Island.

PBN: What are some of the ways the nonprofit helps those with intellectual and developmental disabilities here get jobs?
NETTO:
Best Buddies Jobs is a wonderfully successful program that we are hoping to bring to Rhode Island in the near future. Best Buddies Jobs is currently operating in nine cities throughout the country. While we work to bring the jobs program to Rhode Island, we are currently focused on developing leadership development and self-advocacy skills.
Our school chapters place students with intellectual and development disabilities in leadership roles and our ambassador trainings teach the students how to prepare and present a speech. We are starting to see these students go on to colleges and universities throughout the state.

- Advertisement -

PBN: Describe a Rhode Island leadership development success story.
NETTO:
The standard Best Buddies success story involves one spark that ignites confidence, passion and teamwork. Just a couple of years ago a student was crowned homecoming queen at a local Rhode Island high school. Through Best Buddies this student had grown her social network to the point that she was voted homecoming queen!
This student took the Best Buddies ambassador training and went on to speak at different schools and events about social inclusion. Last year, this young woman enrolled in a local college and is receiving the education training that she needs to be an administrative assistant. These stories are being told more and more throughout the state of Rhode Island. It is a wonderful thing.

PBN: What part of the nonprofit’s 2020 Initiative is the most important strategically for furthering the nonprofit’s mission?
NETTO:
If we are to be successful in establishing a global volunteer movement we must have state offices and a wide array of programs in each state and in countries across the world. Here in Rhode Island, our 2020 Initiative is to have programs in every school system in the state. With us working locally toward our goal, and Best Buddies International working toward its 2020 goals, we are certain to effectively spread our mission of social inclusion, employment opportunities and leadership development.

No posts to display