Interview: Joe Jonas helps student raise $10,000 for her school
Singer, songwriter, musician and philanthropist Joe Jonas has teamed up with Acuvue for the second year in a row to mentor young people about how to make their dreams a reality through Acuvue's 1-Day Contest.
The contest asks contestants to upload a one-minute video of what they dream of achieving one day and selects winners based on their passion and creativity. Winners get to spend a day with a celebrity mentor.
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This year, the Jonas Brother had the opportunity to work with a student named Kiersten and assisted her in realizing her dream of raising money for her school that specializes in teaching children with special needs, Eton Academy.
"Eton Academy is a school that helps kids with learning disabilities realize that they're not stupid, that they can learn and that they just learn in a different way," Kiersten explains in the above clip. "My 1-Day dream is to help Eton Academy expand its school so that more kids can attend and help lower tuition costs."
Speaking with Yahoo! Canada Music last week, Jonas talked about his experience mentoring Kiersten and how her story affected him, saying, "The thing that touched me about Kiersten was that she was doing this for her family [and her school] and she got picked on a lot and bullied and it was really, really tough for her."
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He also said, "I think her story really made me want to see her right away and encourage [her because] she's doing great things. [Also, to tell her] that she [doesn't] have to pay attention to what other people say and just be able to live her life and see that great things [will] come out of it."
Throughout the experience, Jonas saw a positive change occur in the teenager, saying, "She was definitely very nervous [in the beginning,]" he said. "But, I saw towards the end her brighten up and come out of her shell and she was holding court by the end."
In order to help raise money and create awareness for Kiersten's school, Jonas, with the help of Acuvue and fellow mentor, actress Meaghan Martin, set up a food truck with all proceeds going towards Eton Academy.
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"The food truck was really cool," Jonas said. "I did my best to cook, but I'm just glad that money was able to be raised and that my fans came out to support and raise awareness for her cause, [which was] her school."
Sales from the food truck raised $5,000, which Jonas and his brothers Kevin and Nick matched to create a total of $10,000 raised for Eton Academy.
Jonas says he is grateful for his opportunity to act as a mentor for programs like Acuvue's 1-Day Contest and also participates in charitable efforts like the Special Olympics through his charity with his brothers called Change For Children.
"I have a platform where I'm able to talk about things that I'm passionate about," the 22-year-old said. "Even if you say that you don't want to be an influence, it's kind of how it is when you're put in this position. I'm very pleased that I'm able to speak about things openly like the Special Olympics and those who are affected by intellectual disabilities to raise money and awareness for their causes."
Up next for Jonas is continuing the recording process for the next Jonas Brothers album, which is their first since their departure from Disney's Hollywood Records. "We've got about 10 songs now that we're feeling confident about," the singer said. "We're kind of doing it on our own with writing and producing the music ourselves."
In addition, the musician is also excited and nervous about the premiere of his brother Kevin and his wife Danielle's new reality show, "Married To Jonas," which begins airing this August, saying, "Having my family all over television in a reality light, I'm nervous, but at the same time, they're great people and I think America and [the rest of] the world are definitely going to fall in love with them."
Adding what fans can expect from the show, saying, "[Viewers will get to] see that there are a lot of young couples out there that are going through the same type of situations that [Kevin and Danielle] are," he said. "Getting through those first few years together, I think a lot of people will [be able to] relate [to it.]"
Check out a preview of "Married to Jonas" featured below and head here for more information about Acuvue's 1-Day Contest.
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