Aiken Takes Message of 'Education for All' Center Stage
NEW YORK, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, multi-platinum artist Clay Aiken
became a National Ambassador for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. A budding
philanthropist and long time education advocate, Mr. Aiken will use his
Ambassador status to help ensure that children everywhere are afforded a
primary education.
"Education is the best investment any society can make for the health and
well-being of its children," said Charles J. Lyons, president of the U.S. Fund
for UNICEF. "Clay Aiken, like all of our National Ambassadors, was chosen
based on his compassion and deep commitment to helping children around the
world. We're very pleased to have him join the UNICEF family."
Long before his current singing career, Clay Aiken's life ambition was to
work with individuals living with disabilities. Mr. Aiken intended to pursue
a career in special education. Although his time and energy has turned toward
the music industry, he remains passionate about assisting individuals with
developmental delays, specifically children, to live full lives in the real
world.
There are currently 121 million children not in school around the world.
Ensuring that all children everywhere are given the opportunity for a solid
education is one of UNICEF's highest priorities. Universally, education is
the number one conduit for children's health, wellbeing and longevity. It
also helps transform villages, communities, and nations, ultimately leading
the world towards greater health, prosperity and stability.
Within the umbrella of education, UNICEF supports programs that train
teachers, fortifies teaching curriculums, delivers school supplies; create
emergency schools in conflict zones and emergency settings, and uses education
to help prevent the global pandemic of HIV/AIDS.
"Everyone deserves the best start in life, which is what UNICEF is working
to provide the world's most vulnerable children," said Aiken who is a native
of Raleigh, North Carolina. "Education is essential to a child's development.
I hope that as an Ambassador I can encourage people to join UNICEF's mission
to make education a reality for children throughout the world."
Since his ascendancy on America's Pop Charts over a year ago, Mr. Aiken
has founded his own foundation, the Bubel/Aiken Foundation. It will provide
grants and other one-on-one services to individuals living with disabilities
so that they may participate in programs and work environments that are
normally designed for persons without disabilities. The foundation will
encourage and facilitate community inclusion and the empowerment of
individuals with disabilities.
ABOUT UNICEF
Founded in 1946, UNICEF helps save, protect and improve the lives of
children around the world through immunization, education, health care,
nutrition, clean water and sanitation. UNICEF is non-partisan and its
cooperation is free of discrimination. In everything it does, the most
disadvantaged children and the countries in greatest need have priority. For
more information, please visit http://www.unicefusa.org or call 1-800-4UNICEF.
ABOUT THE BUBEL/AIKEN FOUNDATION
The mission of The Bubel/Aiken Foundation is to provide services and
financial assistance to facilitate fully the integration of children with
disabilities into the life environment of those without. The Foundation will
create awareness about the diversity of individuals with disabilities and the
possibilities inclusion can bring. Through collaborations with the
disability, education, entertainment, and media communities, the Foundation
will recognize those whose commitment to breaking the stereotypes attendant to
the developmentally disabled has broken barriers and extended the boundaries
of the human experience for all.
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