Adam Lambert using his birthday to raise funds for global cultural diversity

“American Idol” season eight alum Adam Lambert has decided to turn his next birthday into something a little more meaningful this year than just a party. Lambert, who is turning 31 on Tuesday, has donated his birthday celebrations to the We Are Family Foundation. The We Are Family Foundation is a charitable organization that is “dedicated to the vision of a global family by creating and supporting programs that inspire and educate the next generation about respect, understanding and cultural diversity – while striving to solve some of our biggest global problems at the same time.”

Lambert is encouraging his fan to donate $31 to the organization on behalf of his 31^st birthday. For those who choose to make a donation, WAFF will send each person instructions on how they can record a ten second birthday greeting for Lambert. Even if you can’t quite donate the full $31, a smaller amount will get you the opportunity to sign the “world’s biggest” birthday card for Lambert.

On Sunday night, WAFF took to their Twitter page to announce that donations had already amounted to a total of $18,000.

In addition to this, Lambert will be headlining the We Are Family Celebration Gala in New York City on Thursday, where he is being honored as a recipient of the Unity Award. He will be performing the show with Nile Rodgers, with Taylor Dayne, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Sam Sparrow, Russell Peters and Kathy Sledge also appearing.

Happy Birthday Adam! It is always great to see celebrities encouraging others and finding ways to make the world a better place.