A Tribute To Clay - "My Hero"

I believe at this fifth anniversary of 9/11, many of us remember the many heroes we had that day. We will always be indebted to them for their bravery and willingness to put others first.

Of course, there are many kinds of heroes, those who put their lives in danger's way, those with moral courage who do not give an inch on their convictions, even the daddy of a 5-year-old child who thinks he can do any and everything.

Renei, aka NEixLOVESxCLAY, has written a beautiful piece on her hero, well, our hero, our own Clay Aiken. This was written for a school assignment to write a paragraph on her hero. She chose Mr. Aiken, and, needless to say, her paragraph was VERY long! (Are we surprised?!!)

What Renei wrote is absolutely beautiful and heartfelt. First posted on The Clayboard, she has given me permission to post it here. You will all be touched by the things she says. So, may I present to you Renei's paragraph on Clay Aiken, her hero and our's.

"Sometimes the world needs a voice. Let it be yours."

What makes a hero? Is it the ability to transcend all barriers and touch lives so intimately? Or is it the ability to inspire all who know of your presence in the world? How about the ability to, no matter how many hardships you may encounter, rise from the ashes like the phoenix, and learn from every moment refusing to let it keep you down? Maybe it’s in the way your mere presence makes it seem as though the world is slowly but surely becoming a better place. Whatever the case may be, my hero undoubtedly encompasses all of those things and so many more. Malcolm Stevenson Forbes once said, “To measure the man, measure his heart” and no truer words have ever been spoken. If I were to measure a man, my hero is the essence of what a man should measure up to. He is truly an amazing and brilliant man. Mother Theresa has said that the greatest disease from which mankind is suffering from is not aids or cancer, but rather, the feeling of being unwanted. Through his passion about inclusion of those with intellectual disabilities, he has made others passionate about the same thing, primarily through the formation of The Bubel Aiken Foundation, and now, through his recently appointed position as a part of President Bush’s Committee for the Intellectually Disabled. He may no longer be educating children in a classroom, but what he's doing right now, I believe is so much more important: he's educating a society on the importance of simple human rights. It frightens me that our society is still so closed-minded, but it's because of people like him, that people with disabilities have a fighting chance in our sometimes cruel world. Through his appointment as the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and U.S. Fund for UNICEF Ambassador particularly committed to supporting UNICEF's education programs, he is changing the lives of children all over the world already having visited Indonesia shortly after the tsunami in March of 2005 and Uganda in May of 2005. Through the gift of his voice and lively personality, he’s able to touch the lives of millions of people bringing them joy and happiness that many have been without for years, often bringing the young at heart out to play. His kindness and affection towards others is nothing short of awe-inspiring and it is in and of itself amazing. It is in his perseverance to stay true to himself and his beliefs that makes me strive to do the same. It is people like him who will make, or rather, who have made a difference in the world. He's everything a man should be: passionate, intelligent, eloquent, sweet, snarky, silly, compassionate, beautiful & dedicated. My hero is none other than Mr. Clayton Aiken. As we in the fandom like to say,
“Came for the voice, stayed for the man.”

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