For Toni: Clay Aiken skates! | Golden Skate

For Toni: Clay Aiken skates!

Joined
Jun 21, 2003
There is a nice long article in Blades on Ice this month about American Idol singer Clay Aiken. Aiken recently took part in a special skating show to raise money for his charitable foundation, the Bubel Aiken Foundation.

Clay's charity is involved in providing opportunities for children who are disabled or have special needs to participate in sports programs alongside other children. Clay has a degree in special education from the University of North Carolina. He says that he became interested in serving in this way when, as a boy, he saw special needs children who had to be turned away from various YMCA programs because the Y did not have adequate staff and facilities to accomodate them. The program (Skate with Clay) was put on in parallel with the Skate with the Hurricanes charity fundraiser organized by the Carolina Hurricans hockey team.

Clay got to meet Kristi Yamaguchi and her baby Keara (for pictures of Kristi and Keara, see BOI pages 10 and 11:love: :love: :love: )

Several skaters are quoted about how much they like Clay's singing, including Michael and Lisa Weiss, Shizuka Arakawa (favorite Clay song: "Invisible") and Sasha Cohen (but she's "more into hip hop music than pop.")

Clay also is pictured with Sarah Hughes and her family backstage at an IA concert. There was a big argument between Clay and Kelly Clarkson about who was a bigger fan of figure skating, LOL.

Mathman:)
 
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Becca84

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 10, 2004
Did it tell how much was raised for BAF? I hope it did well!!!

I'm glad that some skaters are fans of Clay & that he likes f.s.! I'd love to see Clay sing in person on a skating show :love: :love: :love:

Hmmmmmm, now I must go buy BOI for sure...
 

alhuncc

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Actually, Clay graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (not the big one at Chapel Hill!). Charlotte isn't that much smaller than Chapel Hill, just less famous, until Clay! (There was also Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell, our most famous basketball alum, who played for the Boston Celtics for many years.) I have worked there as a librarian for more years than I will admit.

Anyhow, we are sensitive because Clay has been wonderful for and to UNC-Charlotte. Amazingly, in the course of his initial year of sudden fame, he managed to complete his final hours toward graduation with a degree in Special Education. A major project was setting up the Bubel/Aiken Foundation "to help families receive much-needed support with the care and education of their special needs children." By the time Clay attended his graduation on December 19, the foundation was up and running, and his coursework, which included a complete account of what he did to accomplish this goal had been turned in. See the Foundation's web site:
http://www.thebubelaikenfoundation.org/

Many may remember that Diane Bubel was the person who convinced Clay to go for American Idol rather than a survivor type program, which was his original plan. She had heard him sing for fun while working with her son, and knew the voice shouldn't go to waste. Believe it or not, he didn't make it through the Charlotte auditions and had to go to Atlanta before he moved on up the Idol stream.

For me, and many others who encountered Clay during his time at UNC - Charlotte, he had another wonderful gift. Basketball might as well be the State religion of NC, and colleges love their programs. Clay came to an early January game, sang the National Anthem, and then did a half time show singing two numbers for the sold out arena on campus.

Anyhow, he is a very special young man, talent-wise, obviously, and as a person who has chosen to contribute in other ways to the betterment of society. His fans can be as proud of him as those of us who shared a campus with him for a short time.

Amanda
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Joesitz said:
I PMd toni on this but have not heard anything from her. Maybe she is on vacaytion/

Joe

did you just PM me today? (or really anytime this week?) I have been working 9 hour days and have injured myself to the point of barely walking... I will be quitting on Monday... not worth becoming a cripple...

anywho... I knew he was into figure skating... he said so on an interview with the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) and at that time he was thinking about doing a skating show... there was this awesome picture of him actually on figure skates skating with little kids... it was the coolest thing... I think I talked about it on a Clay thread way back when

I also saw the pics of Clay and Kelly with Sarah and her family on Diane's unofficial (but practically official) Sarah Hughes Website. Good to hear my two idols share a passion of mine! ;)
 

sk8ing_lady2001

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Clay's organization is much like Special Olympics and they are both very charitable in helping children as well as adults out. That is good news. Also that Clay wants to be a school teacher. :)
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Hi, ALH -- Thanks for the Clay info. And now I know what the UNCC means in your login name.:laugh:

Mathman
 
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
I didn't think I could like Clay Aiken anymore than I already did, but add skating into the mix and he really is the complete and total measure of my kind of man.

Thanks for the info, Mathman and Alhuncc. Toni, you must be on Cloud 10.:)
Rgirl
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
oh yes... when he came out and said that he was a fan of figure skating I took it to mean we're destined to be together :laugh: (that is a huge joke on my part)
 
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