HAND-IN-HAND
ABOUT HAND-IN-HAND
The Hand-in-Hand Program is the heart of the DFRC Blue-Gold experience. Each year, our Hand-in-Hand Buddies— children and young adults between the ages of 4 and 18 with an intellectual disABILITY— are matched with vetted high school students participating in the DFRC Blue-Gold All★Star Football Program though the DFRC Hand-in-Hand Program. This is a free program offered by DFRC— Delaware Foundation Reaching Citizens with intellectual disABILITIES— as part of the DFRC Blue-Gold All★Star Football Game.
The DFRC Blue-Gold Committee sponsors free, planned activities such as picnics, dances, and activity days beginning in March and continuing through Game Day on Friday, June 20, 2025.
Hand-in-Hand Buddies and DFRC Blue-Gold high school participants are also encouraged to spend time together doing individual activities– going to see a movie, playing a game, taking a walk in the park – just doing things friends naturally do together! The goal of these activities is to build bonds between our Buddies and their high school student matches, teaching valuable lessons of diversity, awareness, and acceptance for all involved.
If you would like to get your child involved in the Hand-in-Hand Program as a Buddy, please contact Alaine Grunow at 302-454-2730 or agrunow@dfrc.org.
History of DFRC Hand-in-Hand:
In 1974, the DFRC Hand-in-Hand Program was added as the centerpiece of the DFRC Blue-Gold All★Star Football Program as a way to give high school students participating in the DFRC Blue-Gold Game the opportunity to be matched with children and young adults with intellectual disABILITIES. The goal of this program is to bring greater awareness to participants about the community that benefits from the efforts of the DFRC Blue-Gold Game.
Celebrating 51 Years!
The DFRC Hand-in-Hand Program continues today, celebrating 51 years of one of the most unique programs in the nation. Delaware is the first and one of the only states to have an All★Star program that matches its participants - football players, cheerleaders, band members, and ambassadors – with the beneficiaries of the game: individuals with intellectual disABILITIES.
About the DFRC Blue-Gold All★Star Football Game: The DFRC Blue-Gold All★Star Football Game is the signature fundraising event of DFRC, showcasing high school students across the state of Delaware and highlighting the ABILITIES of Delaware citizens. This year, DFRC is celebrating its 69th game at the University of Delaware football stadium on Friday, June 20, 2025.
The high school student participants in the DFRC Blue-Gold Football Game— football players, cheerleaders, band members, and student ambassadors— are nominated by their school administration to represent their schools, having been identified as leaders and good citizens of outstanding character.