Everyone’s 21st birthday tends to be a special occasion. It marks the official gateway birthday to adulthood, often representing an opportunity to raise a glass in celebration.

But on the occasion of his 21st birthday October 9, country music and American Idol star Scotty McCreery is hoping to raise a lot of support for Newtown’s 12.14 Foundation.

In an exclusive interview with The Newtown Bee, McCreery said he will be asking fans and followers to forgo sending him any kind of birthday gifts. Instead he’s asking that donations be made to The 12.14 Foundation, which was established in the wake of the Sandy Hook School tragedy and has enlisted the talented artist as its National Goodwill Ambassador.

“It’s one of the things I’m proud to be part of, so I’m proud to talk about it and get as many folks supporting it as we can,” McCreery said. “Whenever we bring it up, people are always happy to get involved and to donate.”

As his popularity and international fan base has swelled since he captured the 2011 American Idol title, McCreery said his early October birthday has brought increasingly larger responses in the form of gifts, so this year he’s hoping to influence a redirect of that outpouring of goodwill toward the Newtown and Sandy Hook communities.

“If you want to send me a present, send a donation to the 12.14 Foundation,” he said. “I have been lucky enough to get so many cool things over the years, I really don’t need anything else. So go ahead and help out the foundation instead of sending presents my way. That would be really cool.”

McCreery is also gearing up for double duty on behalf of the foundation when he arrives for his headline show at the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford on December 4.

“I’ll be doing a little acoustic thing before the concert,” he said. “For me, it’s always somewhat cooler than the live show — the main show is thousands of people with full production, but this smaller group is a more intimate opportunity. Sometimes folks can take more away from that than they can take away from the [headline] show.”

According to 12.14 Foundation founder Dr Michael Baroody, the Oakdale and its operators, LiveNation, will host the pre-concert reception with a limited number of pre-show VIP party tickets now available for $150. At least one-third of each VIP ticket will be donated back to the foundation.

Each VIP ticket holder will have an opportunity to hear McCreery perform the intimate acoustic set, have a meet & greet with the artist, and enjoy appetizers and beverages prior to heading to their up-close reserved seat for the main stage concert, which is also included with the reception.

“It will be fun, and I’m excited for the folks who will get to go,” McCreery said.

He said it is an exciting prospect for him as well, because he can essentially play any song he likes, including honoring an occasional request.

“For the big show, we have technical things we can’t change up too much. But for this one, we really have the world to ourselves — we’ve played random songs and take requests, it’s really cool,” he said.

McCreery said another special highlight of the early December Connecticut concert will be an opportunity to hear a number of selections from his 2012 Christmas album, which he said he would start tapping into after Thanksgiving.

Dr Baroody said it was about a year ago that The 12.14 Foundation reached out to McCreery through a foundation board member affiliated with the Grand Ole Opry. McCreery reportedly responded enthusiastically.

“He wanted to become more involved than just doing, say, a one-time benefit concert,” Dr Baroody recalled. “He really wants to promote the foundation and spread awareness about what we’re trying to do.”

Foundation leaders were thrilled to learn that when McCreery booked the Oakdale show, he wanted to also build in the benefit VIP experience so he could play for and meet many of the local foundation supporters.

“So for about $95 more than a ticket for the headline show, they get to meet Scotty, hear this intimate acoustic show, and they get all their food and drink included along with the best seats in the house for the main event,” Dr Baroody said.

The 12.14 Foundation is working to build a landmark Performing Arts Centre in Newtown, in memory of those lost on December 14, 2012.  The foundation also plans to develop a premier Academy of the Arts with help from local, national, and international collaborations.  

Through the collective efforts and contributions of local craftsmen and artisans, respected business professionals and corporations, and renowned designers, the organization will create an avenue for children and adults to express themselves through active participation in music, dance, and theater, according to its website.

To purchase VIP reception tickets, go to oakdale.com, scroll to the McCreery concert announcement and click on Get Tickets. Once directed to the ticket purchase page, access the VIP reception tickets by clicking on the appropriate link.

A $50 donation back to the foundation will be processed on all VIP reception purchases made on or before the special event sells out, or by Thursday, November 20. There is an added fee of $3.77 for VIP ticket processing assessed by LiveNation.