On Saturday, February 7, 2015, there were lots of pictures, tweets, and Facebook messages about Clay Aiken and his participation in Ping Pong for Public Education. I knew that the event was a fundraiser for Public Schools First – NC, but I wanted to learn more about the event and the organization.
Public Schools First – NC has a wonderful webpage and it states it purpose:
Public Schools First NC is a statewide, nonpartisan organization focused solely on public education issues. We collaborate with teachers, parents, business and civic leaders, students and communities across North Carolina in support of an effective public education system that will prepare each child for life.
Strong public schools are critical for growing our economy and maintaining the vitality of our communities. Our goal is to educate and inform North Carolinians about critical issues that impact our schools, our teachers, and students and to engage all stakeholders in supporting a quality public education system.
Since Clay majored in education while in college and spent some time teaching, it is not surprising that he would support this wonderful organization.
On Saturday, the organization sponsored Ping Pong for Public Education. The event was sponsored and hosted by Triangle Table Tennis. The event was open to players of all levels and all ages.
Clay Aiken wanted to have fun and help raise money for this wonderful organization so he attended the event and helped by playing games and helping with the raffle awards. He even brought his good friend, Nick Leisey to help out. We have some fun pictures of the event!
Every Child Matters
Yevonne Brannon and Clay Aiken playing ping pong to support public education
Looks like Clay bought a shirt!
Announcing the Raffle winners
Who won the match…Clay or Nick?
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The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place tonight in Los Angeles at the Staples Center and will air live on the CBS Television Network at 5:00pm PST. Rapper LLCool J will host the event and there will be live performances by Katy Perry, Beck, AC/DC, Tony Bennett, Mary J. Blige and many others.
The Grammy Awards have been an American music institution for over a half a century. But what is a “Grammy” anyway?
“Grammy” is short for “Gramophone” and the actual Grammy Awards given out each year are modeled after this odd record player.
According to The Grammy’s Official Website, the actual trophy is manufactured exclusively by Billings Artworks. The trophies are all hand made and assembled. Years ago, the old smaller gramophone had to be revamped because the metals were too soft and there were many problems with the trophy breaking. The trophy was made bigger and grander. The Grammy is assembled in pieces and finally finished off in gold plating. The trophies used for the broadcast are called “stunt” Grammys.
The following are a few little known facts about the Grammys:
- Milli Vanilli were the only act to have a Grammy award (for Best New Artist) taken away, after the truth that they didn’t actually sing on their hits surfaced.
- Sinead O’Connor is the only artist to refuse a Grammy. She turned it down to protest what she called the “extreme commercialism” of the award.
- What do Clay Aiken, the Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, the Who, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, the Kinks, and Bob Marley have in common? Not one has won a competitive music Grammy award. Many of them have been given Grammy Lifetime Achievement awards
Personally, I look forward to the year that beautiful voices win Grammys and that Clay Aiken wins his first Grammy.
Will you be watching the Grammys tonight?
