Grammy Award winning R&B singer Usher unveiled a new billboard yesterday (April 29) featuring his childhood picture and a call-to-action â âBE ICONIC,â in his philanthropic effort to bring awareness to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Usher joins 25 other prominent alumni in the new advocacy campaign to help increase public awareness and understanding about the positive impact of Clubs. âGrowing up in the Club, I had the chance to experience a lot of positive things; it helped reinforce the values I learned at home including good character, leadership and giving back to my community, my country and my world,â said Usher. âItâs where I developed my love of singing and performing, received help with my homework, and itâs where I found a safe place to go after school.â Usherâs theme â âBE ICONICâ â ties to the singerâs profile as a multi-platinum selling artist and a positive role model, and will serve as a source of inspiration for all young people to âBE GREAT.â âWork hard to achieve your goals and you can accomplish anything you set your mind to,â Usher says while visiting the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club in Atlanta. Other Club alumni joining Usher in the BE GREAT advocacy campaign include: Academy award-winning actor and national spokesperson for BGCA â Denzel Washington, Muhammad Ali, Ashanti, Swin Cash, Gen. Wesley Clark, Bill Clinton, Bill Cosby, Cuba Gooding Jr., Michael Jordan, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Queen Latifah, Mario Lopez, John Mellencamp, Edward James Olmos, Shaquille OâNeal, Smokey Robinson, Martin Sheen, John Singleton, Ruben Studdard, Courtney B. Vance, Mark Wahlberg and Kerry Washington. On May 14, Usher will be inducted into BGCAâs prestigious Alumni Hall of Fame (AHOF) at the organizationâs 103rd National Conference in Atlanta. Usher celebrates the fifth anniversary of the 2004 top-selling album Confessions this year, which went on to sell more than 10 million copies in the United States, and has been certified diamond in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
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