Carlos Slim Supports Best Buddies International with a $2 Million USD Grant

MIAMI, July 19, 2011 -

Anthony Kennedy Shriver, the Founder and Chairman of
Best Buddies International, is pleased to announce that
Carlos Slim, through Fundacion TELMEX, has committed
$2 million USD as a leadership gift in support of the
organization’s upcoming Momentum Campaign.

Best Buddies ( href="www.bestbuddies.org/">www.bestbuddies.org),
which was founded by Shriver in 1989, is a nonprofit dedicated to
establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities
for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership
development for people with intellectual and developmental
disabilities.

“I recall with affection first meeting both Anthony and his
indefatigable mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, close to
10 years ago in Mexico City,” said Slim.  ”I was
immediately impressed and captivated by their passion to
support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities,
and I subsequently am proud to count myself as a
long-term and enthusiastic supporter of Best Buddies’
exemplary global efforts to provide mentoring, employment and
leadership development opportunities for individuals
with special needs.  I am delighted that my gift will
further assist Best Buddies in advancing its ambitious, yet highly
meaningful, goals during the next few years.”

Mr. Slim’s generous grant will enable Best Buddies to expand its
existing programs in Mexico and support pilot programs in other
Latin American countries. Through Fundacion TELMEX, he has
sponsored Best Buddies Mexico since it was founded in
2003.

“Since 2003, Fundacion TELMEX, through its Programa de Salud y
Nutricion, has supported Best Buddies Mexico and the integration of
people with disabilities into general Mexican society,” said
Arturo Elias Ayub, Director General of Fundacion TELMEX and
a Best Buddies International Board Member.  Best Buddies
Mexico supports friendship programs between young people with
intellectual disabilities and students at Mexican high schools and
universities.  In 2010, the foundation supported 1,660
participants, and since the program was founded in 2003, more than
5,000 participants have benefited from our friendship programs.
 But, there are many more that need our help in Mexico and
throughout the region.  We hope this grant will promote
additional support for the Momentum Campaign and help us reach so
many more of our special friends.”

Best Buddies’ Momentum Campaign is being developed with the
goal of raising $15 million by 2015 to support and expand the
organization’s programs and technological outreach in the United
States and abroad.  The campaign will officially launch in the
near future.

“I am most grateful to Carlos Slim and Arturo Elias for their
historic leadership gift to our Momentum Campaign,” said
Shriver.  “This support will allow us to increase our outreach
to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in
Mexico and help us establish our programs of friendship and
employment in other countries in the region.  For many years,
Carlos Slim has been a great friend to me and Best Buddies.  I
am thrilled by such incredible generosity and such a great gesture
of confidence in Best Buddies.  I hope Carlos’ leadership will
inspire others to give.”

About Best Buddies International

Best Buddies® is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated
toestablishing a global volunteer movement that creates
opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and
leadership development for people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities. Founded in 1989 by Anthony K. Shriver,
Best Buddies is a vibrant organization that has grown from one
original chapter to almost 1,500 middle school, high school, and
college chapters worldwide. Today, Best Buddies’ seven formal
programs - Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens,
e-Buddies® , Jobs and Ambassadors - engage participants
in each of the 50 states and in 50 countries, positively impacting
the lives of nearly 700,000 people with and without disabilities
around the world. As a result of their involvement with Best
Buddies, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
secure rewarding jobs, live on their own, become inspirational
leaders, and make lifelong friendships. For more information,
please visit href="www.bestbuddies.org/">www.bestbuddies.org
or href="www.bestbuddies.org.mx/">www.bestbuddies.org.mx.

About Fundacion TELMEX

TELMEX Foundation is a non-profit philanthropic
institution created in December 1995. It promotes nation-wide
high-impact programs focusing on social welfare. The Foundation
contributes to tackle structural problems that afflict the most
vulnerable sectors of society in areas such as education, health,
justice, and natural disaster relief. In addition to this, the
Foundation provides support to permanent programs devoted to
culture, human development and sports, for the benefit of the
Mexican population in all ages of life. For more information,
please visit href="www.fundaciontelmex.org/">www.fundaciontelmex.org.

For additional information on, or to join the Momentum
Campaign, please contact: John M. Carlin at href="mailto:JohnCarlin@BestBuddies.org">JohnCarlin@BestBuddies.org

Media inquiries - Heather Schatz, Best Buddies International, HeatherSchatz at bestbuddies.org, +1-305-374-2233, x 207