Telethon, Jingle Bell Bash benefit local community

Fox Families Care is an organization that works to bridge the gap between the needs and resources of children and families in the Fox Chapel Area School District. The group invests in the needs of local children and works directly with the district in conjunction with other strategic community partners. In December, the district held two fundraisers for Fox Families Care.

The Fox Chapel Area High School Senior Class Council sponsored the third annual Jingle Bell Bash on Wednesday December 10. This holiday celebration is for children ages pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

Members of the Fox Chapel Area High School senior class council, National Honor Society and members of other high school clubs oversaw activities such as holiday craft stations, games, story time with elves, pictures with Santa and a hot chocolate bar. The event was free for the community, but attendees were invited to donate to the district’s 2025 telethon charity, Fox Families Care.

On December 23, Fox Chapel Area School District students broadcast their 36th annual telethon to benefit Fox Families Care. The telethon involved students from all six schools in the Fox Chapel Area School District (Fairview, Hartwood, Kerr, and O’Hara elementaries; Dorseyville Middle School; and Fox Chapel Area High School). Student, teacher, parent and community representatives participated in the telethon by making donations during the event.

The telethon is coordinated by the Fox Chapel Area High School Fox Leadership Council and the high school’s video production students, who plan and produce the event.

The students in the Fox Chapel Area School District have donated $1,278,496 to various local and regional charities through their annual telethon over the last 35 years. Last year’s telethon for Backpack for Hunger raised $90,228. Backpack for Hunger is a local volunteer organization that provides weekend food for students in the Fox Chapel Area School District.