Students at Haddam-Killingworth High School raised more than $10,000 at their annual holiday telethon.
The 36th annual HKTV Holiday Show took place Friday morning from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., and the three-hour telethon was fully student-run.
“Yesterday, we had a run sheet day, so we basically find all of the content that we’ve created -- everyone’s worked so hard -- and we basically piece it all together,” said Lindsay Blade, who co-hosts with fellow senior Joey Jacobs.
“I love being on the camera, being able to speak and interview people,” Jacobs added. “It just feels really good.”
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
The event included music from school choirs and soloists, and videos the students made.
“I can tell you how excited the kids get as we start moving in the holiday season, you see a spring in their step as they’re talking about it,” said superintendent of schools, Jeffrey Wihbey. “It’s virtually 100% student-run, so we’re really proud about that because the kids are building career and college-ready skills as they’re working towards an active generativity.”
The event is broadcast across the community, and the money raised goes to a different cause every year. Two years ago, it was Marcy Webster’s family. She’s a longtime choir teacher at the high school.
Local
“Back in 2022, my daughter was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer, and she underwent a year of chemotherapy, radiation in Boston, and even had her left leg amputated above the knee,” Webster said. “[The students] decided that my family would be the beneficiary and they raised over $20,000 for our family and it was a real blessing to us. It helped us to stay afloat while I wasn’t working.”
This year, the beneficiary is Haddam Killingworth Youth and Family Services.
“Anything that our kids and our families need, anything from family events that are fun, to providing resources like counseling,” said Alli Behnke, director of mental health and prevention. “To have them choose our organization and to really value what we mean to the community, I think that’s the biggest part.”
They plan to expand their services with the money raised, but more importantly are grateful for the exposure to reach more families in need.
“The funding is so important and so necessary to keep the agency growing, but the connection to our community is just as important throughout the show,” said Jen Favalora, director of operations. “There might be a family that doesn’t know that we’re here, and we’re able to help them. If they’re watching today, we want them to know what kind of resources we have, how we can help them, how their kids can come to different groups, how we have scholarships available for programming -- how we help in a crisis.”
You can donate through the end of the year by clicking here.
