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Awards program recognizes Indiana’s leaders in the name of inclusion

In 2017, Carmel-based TCC, one of the nation’s largest Verizon Authorized Retailers, hired its first participant from Best Buddies, a nonprofit dedicated to creating opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

And now the company’s Director of Human Resources, Kim Miller, has been named a finalist for the Best Buddies Indiana Champion of the Year awards program.

RJ Zeph from Best Buddies works in TCC’s store support office, on the HR team. Miller has seen Zeph grow both personally and professionally since joining the TCC team. She’s witnessed a huge difference in his confidence, communication and relationship building, and she hopes to raise funds and awareness so others with IDD experience the same opportunities and friendships RJ has.

The recipient of Best Buddies Champion of the Year will be the finalist who raises the most funds to create opportunities and programs within schools and jobs for the organization’s participants. The winner will be announced at the organization’s Gala on Nov. 10. As a campaign manager, Zeph is working alongside Miller to raise more funds than other Champion of the Year finalists.

Best Buddies International is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization 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 (IDD). Through Best Buddies, thousands of people with disabilities have successfully moved from segregation and desolation to a new acceptance in their family and community. In turn, Best Buddies has created a new spirit of public service for thousands of middle school, high school and college volunteers that will last a lifetime.

Through eight weeks of efforts to raise funds and awareness for Best Buddies, the eleven Champion of the Year finalists will generate countless opportunities for friendships, job and leadership development for people with IDD.

TCC has partnered with Best Buddies for nearly three years and continues to offer opportunities for other Best Buddies participants to job shadow at its store support office or retail store locations.

“I am personally thankful and blessed to have an employee and friend on my team through Best Buddies,” said Miller. “Without the program, I may never have had the opportunity to work with RJ, who is one of the most positive, kind and hardworking individuals I know. He shows up every day he’s scheduled eager to work and always gives 100 percent. I’m so grateful that TCC leadership afforded our team the opportunity to gain RJ as an employee as he brings invaluable benefits to our entire organization.”

The Best Buddies Champion of the Year winner will be announced at the organization’s Gala on Nov. 10. Tickets purchased for the event will go directly to the selected finalist’s campaign totals. To support Miller’s fundraising effort for the Best Buddies program,

T-shirts designed to show RJ riding his bike, his favorite hobby, are also being sold to benefit the campaign. They can be purchased at https://www.bonfire.com/withfriendship-tee.

“It has been incredible to see how RJ has grown both personally and professionally since joining our team,” said Miller. “I can see such a huge difference in his confidence, communication and relationship building since he started with TCC. Through this campaign, RJ and I hope that we can both raise awareness about the Best Buddies organization as well as funds, so that we can help others with IDD experience the same opportunities and friendships RJ has.”

To learn more about TCC, visit www.TCCRocks.com. Customers can connect with the company at www.facebook.com/tcctalkand www.twitter.com/tcctalk. To explore career options with TCC, visit https://www.tccrocks.com/careers or text TCCJobs to 34989.

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