Thursday, September 01, 2011

Dragon*Con Honors Inclusion Project of Clay Aiken


Clay Aiken - Photo by Curtis Brown is expandable.

Labor Day Convention in Atlanta

Dragon*Con Spotlights Inclusion

Atlanta, the city where singer Clay Aiken began his sojourn on American Idol and subsequently launched a successful career as an entertainer, will always and forever be special to his fans. This Labor Day Weekend, there will be yet another connection.

Dragon*Con, the largest multimedia, pop culture sci-fi fantasy convention on the planet, celebrates its 10th anniversary at the Hilton Atlanta Sept. 2-5 with the National Inclusion Project as its designated charity.


Link to Dragon*Con website with this image.

Aficionados of science fiction, fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film will gather at the Hilton Atlanta Hotel for the annual event. Link to the Dragon*Con website for links, apps, and tracks galore!

In addition to tax deductible donations, Dragon*Con is accepting submissions for the 2011 Charity Auction. Various programs of the National Inclusion Project are outlined on the Dragon*Con website, providing an excellent intro to the charity co-founded by Clay and Diane Bubel in 2003.
The National Inclusion Project has worked with hundreds of programs, trained numerous staff members and leaders, and provided inclusive opportunities for over 20,000 children.

A donation to the National Inclusion Project provides maximum impact in communities as they move to being fully inclusive.

* $25 allows a child with disability to go swimming with his peers for the first time.

* $100 provides a field trip for children to experience their community together.

* $1000 provides curriculum, training, and supplies to implement inclusive service learning.

* $5000 opens the door for five children with a disability to spend a week at camp with their friends.


I Am NORM initiative seeks Pepsi grant for inclusion.

I Am NORM Opens $50k Grant Drive

The National Inclusion Project's race for a miracle finish in the August Pepsi Refresh was running on all cylinders right up until midnight Wednesday. Time will tell if supporters were successful in voting enough power codes to move the charity into the Top 10.

Meanwhile, I Am NORM, sister charity of the Inclusion Project, is competing in the $50k category of September's Pepsi Refresh giveaway.

An initiative designed by young people to promote the acceptance, respect, and full inclusion of youth with disabilities in schools and communities, I Am NORM was formed on a wintry January 2010 weekend in Washington, DC, by 20 young people, with and without disabilities, from throughout the United States.


You can vote for
I Am NORM at the Pepsi site, via Facebook, and by texting 109076 to 73774 (PEPSI) daily. Read more about the cause at its Pepsi page and at the I am NORM Share It website.

If successful, the organization will utilize the $50k grant for hosting the 2012 Youth Summit, presenting the
I Am NORM program at other youth conferences, and advertising the cause to the youth demographic.

Power Codes Prove Pepsi X-Factor

Under the new guidelines, power codes have become the x-factor in the Pepsi Refresh competition. The 10-character code from the yellow caps or canned carton tops can increase a single vote from 5 - 100 points. Erica, an 8th grade violin student, brought the month's first yellow cap to her Thursday lesson.

Royalle has compiled a list of partner/reciprocating charities for Scarlett to create an I Am NORM Voting Widget. Updated daily, this handy device will appear at the top of Carolina blog sidebar throughout September.

When voting for other Pepsi Refresh charities, be sure to leave a comment so they will reciprocate with I Am NORM. This sample appears in the widget's "How To Vote" panel:
Votes from I Am NORM / National Inclusion Project of Raleigh, NC. Thank you for your reciprocal support. http://www.refresheverything.com/iamnorm ... Text 109076.

Special thanks to all who voted/provided power codes for the National Inclusion Project in August. On a personal note, my daughter Jennifer; Maria, a friend from Ohio; and the Fulp and Justice families among my music students/parents were especially helpful.

Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend, Clay Nation -- in Atlanta or wishing you were there, too!

Caro

13 comments:

Ginger Scarlett said...

THE most breathtaking thud-to-infinity picture plus "I am Norm" plus dragons plus widgets => my favorite blog of all time!!! What a treat! Thank you :) :) :) :) :)

Anonymous said...

First and foremost...agree 110% with Ginger! This picture is too thud-worthy for words!!!

Clay's fans put up a good fight right to the end for the Pepsi Challenge! Let's hope they make it to the top 10!

What great news to hear that Dragon*Con has made the NIP it's designated charity. This sounds like a BIG convention so the NIP should benefit from the big crowds that are bound to attend!

Looking forward to a nice long weekend and hope you have a wonderful one as well Caro!

Sandy

Anonymous said...

Okay, I just tried texting 108076 to 73774 the number for I am Norm to pepsi and I got an email back that said they don't recognize the number...tried twice...

Great blog as always and of course Clay is gorgeous in that picture.

Vickie (Walla)

Anonymous said...

GAH. Nice picture. Maybe I should try to draw this one next. Hopeful soon. Not Clays soon. :)

Kewl about dragons and widgets. Off to check out the link you shared.

((HUGS)) Kathy/Aspiegirl

kta said...

There are not words for how much I love that picture...wow!!!

Yay for Dragon*con and National Inclusion Project. :)

Cindy said...

"Thud to infinity"

Yep, that covers it quite nicely.

Best of luck to NIP at the DragonCon!

SueReu said...

Congrats to National Inclusion Project for being the charity of choice at DragonCon 2011!! Not only is there the possibility of gaining much needed funding, but this will help to spread the word of the importance of Inclusion!!!

I Am NORM is an amazing youth led organization. If you are unfamiliar with the group, click on this link (hopefully anyway) to view a short documentary which was also produced by one of the participants at the 2010 Youth Summit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgBmi0vO1-M

Thanks for the information!!!

SueReu said...

okay, don't click - you can copy and paste ;-)

Anonymous said...

I just love that picture of Clay. He is so thudworthy. I have had it as my screen saver for quite some time. That way I can stare at it whenever I want to..which is A LOT!

So glad NIP is Dragon*Con's designated charity. I am sure it will benefit them well. It is good to get their name out there.

Hope everyone has an enjoyable Labor Day Weekend.

Anonymous said...

What a gorgeous photo of Clay! Just mesmerizing.

Thanks for the widget for I am NORM voting!

Sally said...

clay is sooooooooooo gorgeous in that picture....i thudded to the floor and can't seem to get back up.....................

couponsforzipcodes said...

Good to hear that Dragon*Con Spotlights Inclusion
celebrates his 10th anniversary.Congrats.

Anonymous said...

Hi Caro,

I'm back!!!!!! Awesome photo. Now off to check out the links and your "New" blogs.

Hugs,
Marlyne