Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Clay Aiken Practices Golf Swing


PREPARING FOR THE GREENS -- Clay Aiken practices his golf stance in preparation for the 2010 Golfing for Inclusion event. Graphic by AmazingCA.

'Retro 3' Montage On a Roll

NIP Sets Golfing for Inclusion


Clay Aiken and his fans are brushing up their golf swings in preparation for the 3rd Annual Golfing for Inclusion hosted by the singer and PGA professional Wayne Player.

Some supporters even admit to taking a few lessons prior to the fundraiser slated for Monday, Feb 1, on the greens at Mirasol Country Club, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. The event will benefit the National Inclusion Project, which provides opportunities for all children


Clay Aiken and Wayne Player, GFI co-hosts.

Golfing for Inclusion 2010 will feature a clinic by Player; hole-in-one contests and a golf tournament (shotgun start/scramble format) with prizes for individual/team winners; live/silent auction, extraordinary cuisine, and a special performance by Clay Aiken, co-founder of the charity.

Online registration for GFI provides several avenues of participation, as well as well as a variety of sponsorship or underwriting opportunities. Online auction items can be viewed here.

Forget the hole in one -- fans are hoping Clay's performance will include new song premieres from his upcoming album with Decca Records!

PHOTO INTERLUDE: Below are clickable graphics and a photo from previous GFI events, including AmazingCA, 1; photo by Katy4Clay, edited by Sally, 2; and Clayquebec1, 3.





Youth Slate Inclusion Campaign

Twenty young people from across the country will gather at Imagination State in Bethesda, MD, Jan. 8-10, for the National Youth Inclusion Summit to develop an advocacy campaign that builds awareness and support for the full social and educational inclusion of people with disabilities.

Diverse in their backgrounds, experiences, and abilities, the youth leaders are united in their vision of a world where people of all abilities have the same opportunities.

The National Youth Inclusion Summit is organized by the Including Samuel Project, a program of University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability, along with Imagination Stage, the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, and the National Inclusion Project.

Partners in the effort include the Boys amd Girls Clubs of America, Kids Included Together, Girl Scouts of the USA, Victor Pineda Foundation, and VSA arts.


TAKING FLIGHT -- Samuel Habib sits on his father's lap behind
the controls of his grandfather's sea plane, as the two
prepare for a flight. Photo by Dan Habib.

Every participating teen has already played a role in advocating for inclusion in his/her school or community. Most recently, they have each facilitated discussion among their peers by coordinating a screening of Including Samuel, a documentary broadcast nationwide on PBS stations in the fall of 2009 that looks at five families’ stories of inclusion.

"By hosting screenings, such as the one for the film Including Samuel, which is a powerful documentary, we bring awareness to this issue," stated Liane, a sophomore at Yale and a Summit participant.

At the Summit, participants will share their personal experiences, hear from advocacy experts and work together to build a coordinated viral campaign on inclusion that engages youth nationally.

Sarah, an 11th grader from Iowa and a Summit participant, says about the Summit, “I believe that it is critical for teens to stand up and speak out about the importance of social inclusion for students with disabilities. I feel that awareness and education are powerful tools and can really change the way we think about inclusion.”

“Including Samuel is resonating with this young audience and I hope it can be a catalyst for their generation,” added filmmaker Dan Habib, creator of Including Samuel. “Without them, we cannot achieve the film’s vision of inclusion in our schools and communities.”

Tia, a Girl Scout in 7th grade from North Carolina, adds, “Disabilities should make our bonds with society and people in our community stronger, not weaker.”

Tia and the other nineteen participants will work toward this goal at the Summit.

'Retro 3' Spotlights Appearances

For anyone who has spent the past few days on the moon, SueReu's third Retrospective montage features an overview of Clay's 2003-09 special appearances.

In addition to YouTube, the video has found its way to countless Facebook walls, Twitter tweets, and message board posts.


Clay Aiken - A Retrosepctive, Part 3, A Special Guest
Montage by SueReu

Among the highlights are several national anthem performances, Christmas specials, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Capital One Holiday on Ice, Ed ("This Magic Moment" and "Ebay gold"), Scrubs ("Isn't She Lovely?"), Days of Our Lives, A Capital 4th on PBS, Saturday Night Live and the "Aiken wink," 30 Rock, and "Solitaire" from American Idol 3 and the 2007 Neil Sedaka Tribute.

To download the RETRO-guest montage, use this Sendspace link. I understand #4 is already in the works!

Have a wonderful week, Clay Nation!

Caro

18 comments:

chel4clay said...

Caro, is this a recent picture of Clay with Player? Hair looks different from last year. Wish them much success in this years fundraiser for inclusion. Wish I was there, maybe he'll sing a new song off his upcoming CD. One can hope.

LoriF said...

Great ACA graphic! Hope to see you all at GFI....

katy said...

chel, I think I remember that pic from last year's GFI. Hopefully we'll be getting new pics soon of Clay Aiken swinging the golf club and singing new songs.

SueReu said...

I WANNA GO!! I WANNA GO SO BAD!! I even checked out airfare yesterday *slaps self*

Love the graphic by ACA - cannot wait to see Clay participate in the golfing lesson (or would that be symposium???)

The Inclusion Summit sounds awesome, just another way that National Inclusion Project has partnered with other organizations on behalf of children. I wonder if Clay will make a surprise appearance??

Thanks for posting my video and I do hope that people are enjoying them. #4 should be done *soon* and I will leave that up for interpretation.

Unknown said...

Hang in there FL residents, Clay will definitely warm things up!

I've lost count of how many times I've watched SueReu's wonderful montage.

Cynthia J. Coleman said...

Great post! I hope the weather warms up a bit for GFI 2010- it looks like they're experiencing unusually cold temps right now. II probably won't make it there, but I might try to come to the Gala in October. Maybe Clay will offer some tips about his new album at GFI. Take care & God bless. Love always, Cynthia

MAE said...

Hope GFI 2010 goes exceedingly well!! Love ACA's graphic and Sue's Retro!! Wish I could go! Know I'm not alone! Can't wait to see what Clay will be doing! Thank you for all the great information!!

ImGranny said...

It won't be long now till GFI! I can't wait for the reports to start rolling in. Those who are able to attend functions always do a fantastic job of reporting back so that we get to experience the event thru others' eyes. Thank you for the great blog. The montage of Clay Aiken made by SueReu is wonderful!

hosaa said...

Oops I was caught by a tweet linking here, thinking there was a new report of Clay Aiken golfing! :)

I hope to be attending the Youth Inclusion Summit this weekend, so thanks for the writeup about it.

hosaa

PaulaBear said...

Wish I could attend the GFI event and hear Clay Aiken singing maybe a new song!!! Wouldn't that be incredible! All you heading to Florida, hope it warms up before you go! Can you golf in a parka and mittens??

Anonymous said...

Hi Caro,

I now have all three of SueReu's montages saved, I love them all. I have to say, there are some clips I can't remember seeing, can you imagine? Just makes me miss Clay even more!!

Have a GREAT Day,,,,,

Hugs,
Marlyne

Anonymous said...

Nice blog , as we wait for more news about new music...hope weather warms up for them. And wish success. Always enjoy the info and nice job U do! Donna in Wi.

clayam said...

Always enjoy your blogs, and love Clay Aiken and his work for the children and The National Inclusion Project.

IamMesmerized said...

Great blog, great graphics and what can I say other than ... Sue, you are amazing.

Thank you to all for this wonderful blog.

musicfan said...

Caro...I love getting so much information from you.

I am lucky. I will be at the golfing event. I am already excited!!

Sue certainly has a talent in making the most wonderful montages. I love watching them

Thank you for posting this blog!

LovesClaysVoice said...

Thanks for the blog Caro! I can't wait to see clack from the Golfing for Inclusion! I hope they raise a lot of money for the National Inclusion Project!

jbc4clay said...

Love your blog. Can't wait for reports from the GFI. I hope they have a great turnout!

Anonymous said...

Bring on FL! The GFI event is on the horizon now. Can't wait!

RETRO#3 is also great, another wonderful job encapsulating many of Clay's memorable tv and event performances. I just sat here grinning through the entire montage, recalling the moment of viewing each back when. Some magical tv moments there and spectacular in-person events as well. Here's to a new decade, hopefully filled to the brim with our Clay!

Thanks again!
AAIT