The 37th Annual Haddam-Killingworth High School Holiday Telethon | FOX61 Student News

For the past 36 years, Haddam-Killingworth High School students have produced an annual Holiday Telethon to raise awareness for various charitable organizations.

HADDAM, Conn. — For the past 36 years, Haddam-Killingworth High School students have produced an annual Holiday Telethon to raise awareness for various charitable organizations. With the production being entirely student run, students start in early October by interviewing potential beneficiaries, then they make a decision by the end of October. From then until the telethon date, students will spend countless hours producing Holiday content to fit a 3-hour time frame, and preparing interviews with the beneficiary.

“So many classes and our whole community have been working so hard on getting the holiday show up and running, with videos, segments, interviews, and everything needed to produce a good show.”

This year, the 37th annual holiday telethon will benefit Love From Lincoln, a non-profit organization that strives to support families who have a child waiting for a heart transplant. Founded by Ashley and Michael Stanger in 2025, the foundation was inspired by their child, Lincoln’s journey waiting for a heart transplant.

“This year’s beneficiary is Love From Lincoln, and it is very important to families who are going through children with heart transplants. Lincoln is a 5 year old boy who just went through a heart transplant this past spring, and now they are turning their experiences into a way to help other families who are going through the same thing Lincoln did.”

For the HK community, the telethon has always held a very special place in the hearts of students and families, whether they are part of the production, or just a viewer. Students believe that the telethon is a great way to unify the community for the holiday season, and they can all be a part of something bigger.

“I think for the school having watched and being part of the holiday show over the past, however many years, I think it’s a really great way that everyone, not only comes together, but gets to be a part of something so great, and for a bunch of great causes that benefit so many people through the holiday show”

“It’s very important to be a part by learning and being able to give back in many different ways, it’s also a great experience, it’s hands-on, its an amazing experience, and I’m so excited to be able to give back and help the community in any way I can.”

This year, the show will be on Tuesday, December 23, from 8-11am, on Comcast Channel 18, as well as holidayshow.rsd17.org. Replays of the telethon will be available daily until January 5, 2026, meaning donations are also open until then. To donate, you can go online at holidayshow.rsd17.org, or by calling the number 860-554-5490 on the day of the live telethon. By donating to this year’s holiday telethon, you are contributing to making a huge difference for a family in need.

The FOX 61 Student News program empowers Connecticut middle and high school students to explore the world of multi-media journalism by giving them the opportunity to capture, edit and publish original content under the guidance of industry professionals.

Each student produced and hosted segment will showcase a local story or event, highlighting all that is great about our state. Segments will be featured on-air during Friday’s Morning News at 7:45 a.m., 5:45 p.m. and 10:45 p.m. news and right here on FOX61.com!

Stay tuned and keep an eye out for the next news star! If your school would like to get involved learn more here or email us at studentnews@fox61.com.

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