2007 BAF Clay Aiken "Able-To-Serve" Grants Announced

We've heard of a variety ways that Clay's Able-To-Serve grants have made real impact on the lives of people across America, so it's wonderful news that the Bubel Aiken Foundation is announcing receipients of 2007 Clay Aiken Able-To-Serve grants via this press release from Youth Service America:

THE CLAY AIKEN ABLE-TO-SERVE GRANTEES NAMED FOR NATIONAL & GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY
APRIL 20-22, 2007

WASHINGTON -- (March 16, 2007) -- The Bubel/Aiken Foundation and Youth Service America are pleased to announce the grantees of the Clay Aiken Able-to-Serve grants for National & Global Youth Service Day, April 20-22, 2007. These awards of up to $1,000 support youth-led service projects in which youth with and without disabilities serve their communities together. A selection of the service themes include: emergency preparedness, building wheelchair accessible gardens, disability awareness, and building intergenerational relationships.

The Clay Aiken Able-to-Serve projects for National & Global Youth Service Day 2007:

* Forty-five youth from Hutchinson, Kansas will plant trees along a popular walking trail and dedicate a plaque to commemorate their efforts reminding future visitors on the trail that youth of all abilities can make valuable contributions to their communities.

* After learning that scent-trailing dogs have difficulty tailing people with Down’s syndrome, Hillary, age 19, from Brewer, Maine was awarded a grant to launch a public service campaign about this topic alongside 25 youth with and without disabilities. They will reach out to police who will share the information with the National Down’s Syndrome Society, bloodhound training organizations, and search and rescue organizations.

* Tiffany, age 18, from Lynn, Massachusetts was awarded a grant to tackle the overcrowding and violence she has witnessed in her community public parks. She will lead 20 youth from the Part of the Solution Youth Council to mobilize their community and launch five simultaneous park clean-ups. The youth will petition the city to replace basketball hoops.

* Ashley, age 18 from Sparta, Michigan was awarded the grant to implement a project in which special education students who run the high school ice-cream shop train students from the National Honor Society in ice cream preparation. Following the training, both groups of students will plan an ice-cream social together for elders in the community.

* Fifty members of the Paraquad Youth from St. Louis, Missouri will assist The Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition’s resale clothing store and the Circle of Concern food pantry. Extended interactions among low-income youth, youth in foster care, and youth with disabilities will work to challenge assumptions and stereotypes.

* In Cranford, New Jersey, 300 students and community members will prepare garden beds for spring planting at two schools and one senior housing complex. Students will design, budget, and plant the community gardens.

* Youth in Durham, North Carolina, will convene two community forums to highlight best practices for public safety, human service professionals, and people with disabilities. One panel will focus on the interaction of the police department with the disability community and the second panel will focus on the interaction between EMS, the fire department, and the disability community.

* In Salem, Ohio, 40 students with learning and cognitive disabilities, in partnership with vocational education students, and with the assistance of a high school horticulture class, will design and landscape the Salem Storybook Museum. The Museum provides reading programs for 2,860 youth who are not proficient readers.

* Matt, age 20, from Carbondale, Pennsylvania won the grant to mobilize 30 youth to create an interactive information and snack station in conjunction with Healthy Kids Day. The group will educate the community about health and well-being from good nutrition and exercise. The Youth Board of the Carbondale YMCA will recruit youth from other youth-serving organizations.

* More than 150 younger youth between the ages of five and 14 from Abingdon, Virginia, will create wheelchair accessible gardens for children with severe disabilities to use as areas for physical and mental therapy. The group will collaborate with local high school students studying horticulture to develop a plan and will collaborate with students in the 4H Future Farmers Forum for construction and summer maintenance. Students with disabilities will water and monitor the growth of the plants, assisted by non-disabled 4th and 5th graders.

Full profiles of the grantees are at: www.ysa.org/awards/clayAikenGrantees.cfm.

National & Global Youth Service Day (April 20-22, 2007), the largest service event in the world, mobilizes youth to identify and address the needs of their communities through service-learning and community service. The event is organized by Youth Service America (YSA) with the support of State Farm Companies Foundation as the Presenting Sponsor. More than 115 National Partners and 51 Lead Agencies throughout the United States organize projects. Overseas, National Lead Agencies in 118 countries around the world manage international events. Planning Tool Kits, Service-Learning Curriculum Guides, classroom posters, grants, and more are available for youth, parents, teachers, and organizations. For the U.S. Map of Service Projects for National & Global Youth Service Day 2007: www.YSA.org/map.

Youth Service America is a national nonprofit resource center that partners with thousands of organizations committed to increasing the quality and quantity of volunteer opportunities for young people ages 5-25, to serve locally, nationally, and globally. Founded in 1986, Youth Service America’s mission is to expand the impact of the youth service movement with communities, schools, corporations, and governments. In addition to National & Global Youth Service Day, which take place concurrently each April, YSA also hosts SERVEnet (www.SERVEnet.org), providing the largest database of volunteer opportunities in America. For more information: www.YSA.org.

The Bubel/Aiken Foundation provides services and financial assistance to promote the full integration of children with disabilities into the life environment of those without. The Foundation strives to create awareness about the diversity of individuals with disabilities and the possibilities that inclusion can bring. To learn more about The Bubel/Aiken Foundation or ways to get involved visit their Web site at www.bubelaiken.org.