Clay Aiken, Jim Johnson, and Jason McElwain

Last night, Clay Aiken held a Champions of Change Gala in Raleigh, NC to benefit his charity, The Bubel/Aiken Foundation. From all reports, a good time was had by all. Held at the Cardinal Club, a dinner of either steak or salmon was served, Clay took pictures with some of the attendees, and he held an auction. The auction raised well over $174,000.00 with the biggest item, a signed, original music and lyrics of 'Lover All Alone' going for $55,000.00.

Linda Lovelace, WRAL news anchor from Raleigh was the Emcee of the event and in attendance was Diane Bubel, the co-founder of the foundation, Kristy Barnes, President and COO of the BAF, Faye Parker, one of the Board of Directors, Jaymes Foster, Clay's Executive Producer.




The honorees at this event were presented with the Champions of Change Award. They are:
State Farm Insurance
Beta Alpha Volunteers
Coach Jim Johnson
Jonathan Bunzey, Youth Honoree

I remember Jim Johnson and his amazing basktball manager, Jason McElwain, from the TV coverage about this basketball game. Coach Johnson works for Rochester, NY's Greece Athena High School as the varsity basketball coach. Jason McElwain is a student with autism who Coach Johnson let suit up for the last game. With just over four minutes left to play, Coach Johnson told McElwain to play ball. The crowd erupted in cheers when McElwain took to the court. His first two shots missed the basket but then a wondrous thing happened. McElwain shot his next six balls for six three-pointers. After each shot, the crowd grew a little more wild until the end, when they carried McElwain off the court on their shoulders. Rochester won the game 79-43 and to cap the season off, the Team captured the first section 5 title of Coach Johnson's career.

"My first shot was an air ball (missing the hoop), by a lot, then I missed a lay-up," McElwain recalls. "As the first shot went in, and then the second shot, as soon as that went in, I just started to catch fire." "I felt like a celebrity!" he beamed.

"I've had a lot of thrills in coaching," Johnson says. "I've coached a lot of wonderful kids. But I've never experienced such a thrill."

McElwain's mother sees it as a milestone for her son.

"This is the first moment Jason has ever succeeded (and could be) proud of himself," reflects Debbie McElwain. "I look at autism as the Berlin Wall, and he cracked it."

What a wonderful moment for this extrodinary young man. Watch the video to see it again:



This experience happened because the coach of a high school basketball team wanted to give his Team Manager, who happens to be autistic, a chance to get a basket. All Jason needed was a chance. That's all most people with disabilities need....a chance.

The Bubel/Aiken Foundation exists to give those children that chance. A chance to be included with other children, children without disabilities, children who live their lives free of the physical or mental inequalities. All any child wants is a chance to be included. The BAF is well on it's way to make that happen for a number of children this year.

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 the Youth Service Day web site.


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.

Special thanks goes to Berkeleylovesourclay for compiling all the information about Clay and his charities. She's a special lady.

Heartfelt thanks go to all the clackgatherers without whom our Clay lives would be that much poorer. Invisible 926, Irishbookgal, thanks for sharing your pictures from the Gala.

Quotes taken from CBSNews.com


Related Tags: The Bubel/Aiken foundation, Champions for Change Awards, Clay Aiken, Coach Jim Johnson'Jason McElwain, Diane Bubel, Kristy Barnes, Clay Aiken 'Able-to-Serve Grants, Youth Service Day