Congratulations to Aron Hall.  Aron wrote an interesting and informative article on ‘The Power of the Inclusive Camp Experience.”  The article was published in the January/February issue of the American Camping Association’s (ACA)Camping magazine.  Aron is the Director of Programs for The National Inclusion Project.

According to the announcement at the National Inclusion Project website, Aron worked and shared ideas with the following:

• Julie Causton-Theoharis – the associate professor and director at Schools of Promise.
• Torrie Dunlap, CPLP – the chief executive officer of Kids Included Together.
• George Theoharis – the associate professor and associate dean for Urban Education Partnerships, Syracuse University, and Schools of Promise.

I always love reading about the wonderful things that The National Inclusion Project does.  It is amazing to see the accomplishments this organization has created in just 10 years.  According to their website:

…the National Inclusion Project has established itself as a leading voice for inclusion working with a “Who’s who” list of youth organizations – YMCAs, Best Buddies International, Boys & Girls Clubs, CampFire USA, 4H, the ARC – as well as many other local parks and recreation departments, community centers, and privately-run programs.  They have also formed partnerships with Johns Hopkins University’s National Center for Summer Learning, the University of Massachusetts-Boston’s Center for Social Development and Education, the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability, the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration, and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center.

I hope you will share the article that Aron wrote with as many people as you can.  We all need to make sure that Youth Camp leaders and board of directors know about Let’s All Play.  A good way to do this is to purchase a copy of the magazine and share it with as many people as you can.  You can order the magazine at a cost of $6.oo from ACA (765-342-8456, ext 506).

The National Inclusion Project also said:

Aron will also be presenting the National Inclusion Project’s Let’s ALL Play 101 Training in three breakout sessions at the 2013 ACA National Conference in Dallas, Texas, February 12–15.

It is so wonderful to see the results of the hard work, love and dedication that the entire staff give to The National Inclusion Project.  I thank each of you for all you do to create awareness about the possibilities that inclusion can bring.

Each week, Idol CD sales and Track sales are published.  The following are the track sales for the week that ended on 12/23/12.

Carrie Underwood, Blown Away (35,000, +20%, 1.5 million)
Carrie Underwood, Two Black Cadillacs (19,000, +30%, 99,000)
Casey James, Crying on a Suitcase (12,000, +51%, 199,000)
Carrie Underwood, Good Girl (9,000, +31%, 1.468 million)
Carrie Underwood, Before He Cheats (7,000, +13%, 3.633 million)
Scotty McCreery, Christmas in Heaven (4,000, +3%, 25,000)
Carrie Underwood, How Great Thou Art (3,000, +15%, 392,000)
Jason Castro, Hallelujah [Album Version] (3,000, +223%, 118,000)
Clay Aiken, Mary, Did You Know? (2,000, +8%, 143,000)
Colton Dixon, You Are (2,000, -13%, 38,000)
Mandisa feat. TobyMac, Good Morning (2,000, +14%, 237,000)

It is always good to see Clay’s name on the chart, especially for such a beautiful song that was recorded 8 years ago.

The Hollywood Reporter just published a long article titled:

‘American Idol’ Returns: Mariah, Minaj and a Make – or – Break Moment.

by Shirley Halperin

The article talks about the changes in the show over the years and the highlights some of the successes.  There is a small Clay Aiken mention:

But it seems that as the seasons have passed, so has the reliance on talent alone as a draw. At its launch, the show featured unknown judges save for a then career-stagnant Paula Abdul. Today, the focus is squarely on the high-powered panelists (season two’s Clay Aiken recently said so, tellingBillboard, “I don’t even know if they remember there are contestants anymore”), who aren’t critiquing scores of would-be pop stars solely out of the goodness of their hearts but looking to further their brands and promote their own projects in tandem. (Even Iovine jumped on the bandwagon with his high-end audio line Beats By Dr. Dre, whose headphones and speakers are featured prominently on the show.)

The article covers a lot of information about American Idol and even compares the show with the other singing contests.  You can read the entire article at HOLLYWOODREPORTER

Do you plan on watching American Idol this year?