Friendship Day 2026 was something truly special.
Through 24 hours of online giving, our community came together and raised $148,100 to help write the stories of friendship — ensuring that cost is never a barrier to belonging. Every dollar goes directly to our tuition subsidy program, because FLC provides over 63% of tuition subsidy to ALL of our Friends. Because of your generosity, more stories will be shared, more friendships will be formed, and more lives will be changed.
And then we gathered. Friends, families, and advocates came together on campus to celebrate the power of friendship — to slow down, breathe it all in, and simply enjoy each other’s company. The Beatles Dudes filled the air with music, the Friends danced with joy, and conversations flowed heart to heart. Days like this remind us of something profound: community is everything.
Honoring Our 2026 Advocacy Award Winners
Friendship Day is also the moment we pause to honor the people and partners who make this community what it is.
Friend Advocate Award — Frank Wade Frank doesn’t wait for the signal. He just shows up — week after week — with a warm smile, a willing heart, and X-ray vision for wherever help is needed. From bringing Vanderbilt Ingram Scholars to campus for honest conversations about the IDD community, to sitting beside the Friends in the art room or on a volunteer project, Frank has spent years quietly changing lives. No cape. No headlines. Just dependable, consistent love. Frank, you are our Superman. 🦸
Life Advocate Award — Davis Walker Davis has broken through barriers and advocated boldly — not just for himself, but for what’s possible when people with disabilities are given the opportunities they deserve to live life to the fullest.
Community Advocate Award — Edley’s Restaurant Company What started with a flat tire and a story told in a parking lot became a seven-year partnership built on trust, inclusion, and genuine community. Edley’s has opened their restaurants as hospitality training sites for the Friends, become FLC’s largest employer of the Friends, and shown up year after year as a cornerstone sponsor of our Backyard Bluegrass and BBQ Bash. Their leadership — Will and Catherine Newman, Chris Beckler, and Chris McKinney — has set a standard that their entire team has embraced: people with disabilities will always be a welcome part of the Edley’s family.
“Every friendship begins with a story.”
Thank you for being part of ours. 💛
