Clay Aiken Fans Champion Charities

National Inclusion Project - Inclusion is giving people their rightful opportunity to participate. The NIP works every day to ensure no child sits on the sidelines.

For Pepsi Refresh Challenge

Inclusion Project Sets $50K Goal

National Inclusion Project supporters stormed out of the gate the first of November and claimed the #2 position of this month's Pepsi Refresh campaign for a $50,000 grant for the charity.

The foundation, co-founded by singer Clay Aiken and Diane Bubel in July 2003, must finish in the top 10 to win a November grant.

Through a variety of programs, including the Let's All Play Camps, the National Inclusion Project seeks to ensure that no child sits on the sidelines. Read more about the NIP at the foundation's website.

Register for a daily voting reminder at the NIP website. If the Inclusion Project wins a November grant, your name will be in a raffle drawing for an Apple iPad2. The daily email is excellent for forwarding to friends, relatives, and associates who will help the charity attain its goal.

Vote 3 ways to expand inclusive programs for all children.

The rules have changed since friends of the foundation successfully secured a Pepsi grant in December 2010.

* The Inclusion Project must win in November as there is no rollover from month to month.

* Advocates can vote 3 ways: via a registered Pepsi account, Facebook, and a daily text of #109857 to Pepsi (73774).

* Supporters have 5 votes for each avenue everyday, but only one NIP vote per method. Distribute the other four votes to charities supporting the foundation. These are listed in the NIP Voting Widget in this blog's sidebar.

* After each Pepsi/Facebook vote for the foundation's partners and allies, click on the Back to the Idea Page tab (upper left corner) to leave a comment. Reciprocating charities will return votes to the NIP accordingly.

* Best of all, there are no Pepsi power codes in this month's competition.

On Nov. 30, there will be 10 winners in the $50k category, now the highest award possible. Longtime supporters know the early momentum must be maintained in order to secure the grant.

Widget Makes Voting a Snap

A tremendous tool for Project supporters is the voting widget created by Scarlett with reciprocal info gathered by Royalle.

Jerry Aiken, executive director of the National Inclusion Project, not only approved the widget but also asked that supporters be reminded to vote all three ways. "We lose much-needed votes when people take the easiest route and text vote only."

Fresh off the press, the voting widget below links you directly to causes supporting the NIP.

Create your own comment, but be sure to include the NIP Pepsi page address and text number. Here is a sample:

The National Inclusion Project just voted for you. Thank you for your return votes! http://www.refresheverything.com/includingchildren and Text 109857.

The widget will be available here and in the Carolina sidebar throughout November.

2012 Clay Aiken Calendars - Order by Nov. 22!
Tried & True wall calendar cover is clickable.

2012 Calendar Deadline Approaches

The 2012 Clay Aiken Calendars are going back to the Gala as auction items. But before that, fans of the singer can order Tried & True wall or desk versions through the project's coordinator.

Produced annually by Rosaratana with photos by toni7babe, the 2012 calendar features images predominately from the 2011 Tried & True Tour and is again being published in desk and wall versions.

Hippoga, also part of the 2012 team, helped select the photos and coordinated the inclusion of 20 calendars in the silent auction for the Dec. 9-10 Champions Gala, annual event of the National Inclusion Project in Raleigh, NC.

Sample of monthly desk calendars. Double click to enlarge.

The calendars, printed on premium glossy card stock, can be ordered through Rosaratana between now and Nov. 22. Costs include $12 for the desk size (8.27" x 3.74") and $25 for the wall version (11" x 8.5").

To place calendar orders, Paypal or email Rosa at rosash@comcast.net by Nov. 22. Checks are accepted, and she will email you the address. Process time between orders received to calendars printed and shipped is approximately 3-4 weeks.

As in the past six years, all proceeds after costs will be donated to the National Inclusion Project. Thought not an official NIP fundraiser, this project is sponsored annually by the Together for Inclusion Alpha Chapter of Aiken 4Clay.

The 2011 calendars generated a foundation donation of $965.62 through sales plus an additional $650 in Gala auctions.

Completed orders will be mailed by the first week of December.

Clickables by dancerdad.

Celebrity Apprentice Sneak Peeks

If you are following Clay Aiken message boards, tweets, or Facebook posts, you are no doubt aware that our guy is involved in another NIP fundraiser through Celebrity Apprentice.

The clickable photos above by dancerdad were taken during filming of a Celebrity Apprentice task for the show's 2012 telecast. Thursday's sale of New York City guidebooks by the men's team was well-documented by dancerdad and other Big Apple residents.

Have an awesome weekend, Clay Nation!

Caro