It's appropriate that when Anthony Shriver, son of Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, decided to start a program for persons with mental retardation, he turned to an old buddy.

The friend was Mark Wylie '88. The program became Best Buddies International, a Miami-based organization that places college and high school students in one-on-one relationships with persons with mental retardation. In the dozen years since its inception, the program has served about 140,000 people. Wylie, now director of public affairs for Best Buddies, was the first employee. "It just kind of evolved," he said.

"What we do is try to enhance their lives by giving them opportunities to go out and do things that we take for granted: going to the movies, hanging out with friends, just going to the mall," Wylie said.

Wylie now spends part of his time in the company of actors and other celebrities who are Best Buddies supporters. But his biggest reward, he said, is the time he spends with receptionist Joyce Goldman, who has mental retardation. "She's the reason I come to work," he said. "She's amazing."