Wylie's a Winner

 

For more photos of Wylie from the show, click here.

Mark Wylie '88 works for a nonprofit organization called Best Buddies, which pairs young, intellectually disabled people with mentors. But that's not how he came to fame. As a contestant on the NBC show "The Biggest Loser," Wylie, an audience favorite, finished third on December 13 when his total weight loss of 129 pounds was announced during the show's finale.

Comments

• On October 5, 2007, Monika Thiele wrote:
  This is FABULOUS to read! Way to go Mark! I just came across this great news and can attest to Mark's level of personal motivation and role as an inspiring leader for all of us. When I decided to start a new volunteer organization for people with special needs at Colby, it began with the intention of hosting social events and special olympics training/coaching opportunities for residents in the Waterville area with special needs. I was personally motivated by having a sister with Down Syndrom myself. Things were getting off the ground really well. Then one day during a fall semester program in Washington, DC, I learned about the Best Buddies organization. In no time I discovered Mark, a fellow Colby grad!! Once we connected, it was clear to me my volunteer group needed to become part of the National Best Buddies program!! Mark was so wonderful and motivating and helped me get all the information I needed to get the chapter started. Within a year we had the first Best Buddies chapter in all of Maine!! It is still one of the most memorable of all my achievements to date, and I thank Mark for having put this seed in my head! To this day, Colby's Best Buddies is still running strong and everytime I stop back in to visit the participating buddy residents, I still get overwhelmed with hugs and happy smiles and sparkling eyes, with great stories about their newest Colby Buddy!! What a wonderful organization. With Mark as a founding staff member, he has taken the organization to incredible places! I found out about 3 years after graduating that Colby's Best Buddies received a National Best Buddies Chapter award in 2000 (I think that was the year!) Just incredible!! See Mark--you shed good energy and seem to leave your mark everywhere you go!! Kindest regards, Monika Thiele Colby'97