One Year Ago on March 31, 2007 - Bubel Aiken Foundation Gala "Champions of Change" Took Place

Its always fun to remember anniversaries and events that happened one year ago to the day. An especially wonderful and fun event that happened one year ago from this Monday, March 31, was the Bubel Aiken Foundation Gala, Champions of Change. As we all know, the gala was a huge success, not only in the amount of money that was donated, but also in the vocalizing and support of BAF's mission of inclusion.

A news article can be found at The Bubel Aiken website's news archives, and reading it is a great way to remind yourself of the many good things that happened that evening. Just a few exerpts are as follows:

The very special gathering was to celebrate and recognize the achievements of "Champions of Change" and to support the Foundation's mission of inclusion.

Diane proved once again that she is a true advocate for inclusion, and she continues to inspire everyone who is lucky enough to hear her speak with passion about inclusion and her very special family. Clay’s speech about how we all can be Voices for Change was equally inspiring and passionate.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Champions of Change awards. Awards of recognition for their efforts and continuous devotion to making a difference were presented to Jonathan Bunzey, the Youth Honoree ,Coach Jim Johnson, State Farm Insurance , and The Voices of Beta Alpha Volunteers. All the honorees graciously accepted their awards and showed a truly humble spirit in the midst of their incredible work to open doors for inclusion for children in their communities.

A Live Auction followed, and the generosity of the supporters was overwhelming. It was wonderful to see Clay Aiken interacting with the audience and the auctioneer in an effort that ended up surpassing all expectations. By the end of the auction, Clay announced that the supporters had more than paid for the Foundation’s “Let’s ALL Play” summer camps for the entire 2007 summer.... At the end of the evening, supporters had helped to raise $333,238.45!

And, of course, I think we can all remember how funny Clay was at the gala, auctioning off his ring and his shirt after making them even more desirable to be won than they already were!! Because of Clay and his shenanigans, the donations went way up and a fun time was had by all!

Congratulations to Bubel Aiken as we remember the great results of their Champion of Change Gala one year ago today!