Aiden Adams plays guitar, strumming and singing the music he wrote himself. The 10-year-old Sidwell Friends School student who lives in Bethesda has been playing instruments since he was three years old.
Recently, he performed at Java Nation in Rockville and raised more than $3,500 for Shepherd’s Table in Silver Spring. On Monday, he brought his guitar to entertain the lunchtime clients and toured the facility at Progress Place.
The rising fifth grader, who is the third of four children, has written songs about bullying and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Another song about wanting a home is written for orphans and anyone without shelter.
He also writes books, including “There Are No Sheep in New York City!” about the power of imagination, and “Buttons My Gucci Bear,” about the friendship between a boy named Finney and Buttons the bear.
His goal is to make the world a better place, with more smiles, which is what happened when he entertained clients at Shepherd’s Table as they ate their corn tamales, vegetables and apple pie.
Shepherd’s Table provides food and social services to create a pathway for self-sufficiency for area residents. The nonprofit serves between 150 to 200 people for lunch daily, and a total of 700 meals each day, including breakfast, lunch and dinner.