FCASD annual telethon
Fox Chapel Area School District students will broadcast their 36th annual telethon at 1 p.m. Dec. 23. The telethon will raise money for the local organization Fox Families Care and involve 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 will participate in the telethon benefiting Fox Families Care by making donations during the event. The public is also invited to make donations online at foxfamiliescare.org/donatenow.
The telethon will be streamed on the Swift Fox Media YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/@SwiftFoxMedia, and viewers can watch it anytime after it airs at 1 p.m. Dec. 23. A telethon kickoff video is now available on the Swift Fox Media YouTube channel.
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.
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.
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.
Choral concert
The Fox Chapel Area High School Choral Music Department will present its annual “Sounds of the Season” concert on Dec. 16. The concert will include performances by the Fox Chapel Area High School choral ensembles (the Concert Choir, Madrigal Singers, Vulpes Cantantes, and the Men’s Ensemble). Special professional guest artists include the Carnegie Brass Quintet. The concert will also include an appearance by the Dorseyville Middle School Honors Choir. Additionally, the choral department’s singers and alumni will perform the program’s traditional finale, Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.”
The concert will begin at 7 p.m. at Fox Chapel Area High School. In addition to the concert, there will be a preconcert recital by the Carnegie Brass Quintet beginning at 6:40 p.m. The Fox Chapel Choral Family Association will honor all the performers at a reception immediately following the concert. Everyone is invited to attend.
The public may purchase general admission tickets for the concert for a donation of $5 each, plus a $1 convenience fee, for a total of $6 per ticket. Tickets are available online at fcahsmusicdepartment.ludus.com, and will only be sold at the door pending availability.
Christmas bird count
The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania’s 126th annual Christmas Bird Count is set for Dec. 27 at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve.
The CBC is the world’s longest-running citizen science project. People of all ages and birding experience levels count birds that they see on the count date, then the data is compiled and used to measure changes in the environment and in bird populations. This wealth of information paints a clear picture of bird distribution and abundance while aiding in the understanding of the urgency of bird conservation.
Participation is free and prior experience is not necessary – new birdwatchers can be teamed up with experienced birdwatchers. Find CBC training classes on ASWP’s website on the events calendar at aswp.org. Kids’ Christmas Bird Count programs are also available.
For more information, contact Brian Shema at 412-963-6100 or bshema@aswp.prg.
Light recycling
O’Hara is partnering once again with Michael Brothers to recycle holiday lights to benefit Project Bundle-up.
People can drop off the lights from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the township office, 325 Fox Chapel Road.
Collection runs through Feb. 15.
Christmas concerts
Get in the mood for Christmas with a free concert of seasonal favorites by the Pine Creek Community Band on Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. in Saint Mary Church, 210 Garnier St., Sharpsburg.
Join us for The True Meaning of Christmas: A Concert of Carols, Anthems, and Readings on Dec. 21 at 3 p.m. in Saint Joseph Church, 342 Dorseyville Road. Christ the King Parish’s Choir will perform traditional carols along with uplifting readings to help prepare you for the arrival of the Christ Child.
For more information, call 412-963-8885 ext. 110.
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