Clay has a 2 page feature in this magazine, which you can order by e-mailing emenlow@inspireyourworld.com, at a special discounted price ($5, regular is $6.50) for Clay Aiken fans.
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Celebrating the People, Companies and Causes That Inspire Us To Give Back
Clay Aiken is truly an American idol, and it has nothing to do with his singing. He may be a platinum-selling recording artist, but he has a heart of gold.
While other alumni of the smash TV talent show have gone on to big careers (Kelly Clarkson) or relative obscurity (everyone else), Aiken has managed to sell better than 2 million albums and also use his fame and fortune to help a group that cannot help itself: children in need.
In 2003, he helped create the Bubel/Aiken Foundation to provide, as the foundation says, “opportunities for individuals with autism and other physical and mental disabilities to participate in programs that are typically only available to those without disabilities.” The foundation was truly inspired by personal experience, as Aiken, a onetime special-education teacher, used an independent study he had done while a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as the basis for the organization. With the help of Diane Bubel, whose son Mike is autistic and had worked with Clay, Aiken made the foundation a reality.
Inclusion is the key word at Bubel/Aiken, which is creating awareness about the abilities of those with disabilities. “The message I’ll share,” Aiken has said, “is that inclusion is extremely important for kids with and without disabilities—to experience life activities, to participate in change together... with peers who normally might not be able to participate. The exposure to a diverse population helps make them more open-minded; the experience brings new ways to look at individuals and peers.”
Clay Aiken has mastered the art of helping kids by immersing
himself in issue close to his heart
As an extension of this philosophy, Aiken also helped launch Camp Gonzo as part of the Bubel/Aiken Foundation’s YMCA initiative. The foundation provided the camp with a curriculum, special-education training and funding to offer children with disabilities the same summer-camp experience as children without disabilities. Thanks to Camp Gonzo, the YMCA now has a model for future programs.
Aiken is not one of those stars who simply give their name to a project and then jet off to party in South Beach. He spends countless hours genuinely involved, whether it’s getting on the ice with 100 kids (50 with disabilities, 50 without) for a “Skate with Clay” outing or performing at foundation fund-raisers such as the Florida Voices for Change Gala on April 16 in Fort Lauderdale.
“The message I’ll share...is that inclusion is extremely important for kids with and without disabilities”
– Clay Aiken
Yet for all the time he gives, he always manages to find more. Aiken is an Ambassador for Ronald McDonald House Charities, for whom he helped raise $15,099,99 last fall when a set of cement handprints he’d created was auctioned off on eBay during a World Children’s Day event. Back in November he was appointed a National Ambassador for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, which will give him another platform from which to support children’s educational efforts and programs. That commitment to kids is furthered yet again with the Clay Aiken Able to Serve awards, presented by the Bubel/Aiken Foundation and Youth Service America, which provide up to $1,000 to encourage youth with disabilities to plan and carry out projects for National and Global Youth Service Day. “Every celebrity should hope to be a role model to kids, to teenagers, to young adults,” he said. “I talk about the causes that are important to me now, things that matter to me, and I’m in a position to help.” Spoken like a true idol. —Scott Adams
