CGG

Sunday is father’s day. Do you know what you’re doing yet? CGG attended the Father of the Year Award benefiting Save the Children U.S. Programs this past Wednesday in New York. Randy Jackson, the fierce American Idol judge, father of three, and first-ever Save the Children U.S. Ambassador, was honored at a special luncheon. Randy first worked with Save the Children after the two-night fundraising special Idol Gives Back, which raised $75 million for children in poverty in the United States and Africa.

Randy said that he was “Astonished but happy,” to find out that he won the award, and joked that he “knew that Simon [Cowell] and Ryan [Seacrest] would both be extremely angered and upset because they aren’t even fathers.”

We caught up with Randy to learn more about his on-the-ground work.

CGG: What was it like during Idol Gives Back? Can you tell me about being down in Louisiana after hurricane Katrina?
Randy: The hurricane Katrina thing was really tough because that’s where I’m from, and I think, you know, that area’s still so devastating. There is still so much work to do. I’m just happy that Save the Children was there to help us. And there’s a lot of other people that went down there with us that really felt the same, you know, the passionate feelings for that area. And you know, it just breaks your heart.

CGG: Do you have future plans to do more work there?
Randy: Yeah, definitely, definitely, definitely.

CGG: What’s the best way for kids to get involved in their communities?
Randy: I think that you’ve got to seek out things that you want to do. And I think that a lot of school’s are getting kids involved in a lot of charitable programs and stuff now. And I mean that if there’s something you see on TV, whether it’s recycling, whether it’s cancer, whether it’s diabetes, which is near and dear to my heart, whatever it is, I think you know you just got to go in there and just try to find a way to champion that cause and join up and sign up. I think that everyone’s looking for volunteers all the time.