"A Philly Special Christmas Special" raises over $3 million for Philadelphia organizations
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen - and part-time Christmas carolers - Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata helped raise over $3 million with their second album "A Philly Special Christmas Special," according to a news release.
Over 60 organizations received donations, including Children's Crisis Treatment Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Ronald McDonald House, Philly Goat Project, Gender Justice Fund of Philadelphia, Philabundance and Toys for Tots, among others.
The Birds' O-linemen's first album, "A Philly Special Christmas," raised $1.25 million.
"I am overwhelmed with gratitude that we were able to double the amount of money we donated last year," Connor Barwin, a former Eagles linebacker and shares executive producer of Vera Y Records, said. "It was a special group of people that came together to make this record, and I am proud to see that diversity represented in the range of organizations this record has been able to support."
"A Philly Special Christmas Special" was released on streaming services and sold as a limited edition vinyl on Vera Y Records.
The record was sold as a limited-edition red vinyl, limited-edition gold vinyl and a double disc, which included the first album.
According to a news release, singles from the second album - "This Christmas, "All I Want for Christmas is You," "Fairytale of Philadelphia" and "Pretty Paper" - have been streamed over 10 million times on all platforms. "Fairytale of Philadelphia", a duet cover of The Pogues Christmas hit "Fairytale of New York" by Jason and Travis Kelce, reached No. 1 on iTunes.
A nearly eight-minute animation released on YouTube has more than 695,000 views as of Jan. 11 and had 10,000 live viewers on its Thanksgiving premiere.
Here are all the organizations that benefited from "A Philly Special Christmas Special":
- 87 and Running
- Achieve Now
- Ars Nova Workshop
- Attic Youth Center
- Beyond the Bars
- Cancer Support Community of Greater Philadelphia
- CB Community Schools
- Children's Crisis Treatment Center
- Center City Jazz Festival
- Chester Children's Choir
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
- Coded by Kids
- Community Unity Music Festival
- Cooperative Nursery School
- Drueding Center
- Eagles Autism Challenge
- Fanny Coppin School
- Foundation to Combat AntiSemitism
- Feed America
- FIRE
- Fresh Air Fund
- Friends Select School
- Gender Justice Fund of Philadelphia
- Germantown Friends
- Gift of Life
- Haddon Twp Visual and Performing Arts Guild
- Heights Philadelphia
- Herb It Forward Foundation
- Hill - Freedman World Academy
- Horizon House
- John Fetting Fund for Breast Cancer Prevention
- Kensington Soccer Club
- Kesem at Temple University
- Kilgore College
- World Cafe Live Living Arts Dance
- MANNA
- Mic'D Up (Phila SD)
- Make The World Better Foundation
- No Name Pops
- P.A.C.E. Program
- PA Association for the Blind
- Philabundance
- Philadelphia Children Alliance
- Philly Blind Hockey
- Philly Goat Project
- Photography Without Borders
- Police Athletic League Philadelphia
- Robotics Coalition
- Rock to the Future
- Ronald McDonald House
- Street Tails Animal Rescue
- Student-Run Emergency Housing Unit of Phila, Inc.,
- Tara Miller Foundation
- The Judy Spangler Scholarship
- The Lambert Foundation
- The MIP Foundation
- The Philadelphia Outward Bound
- The Rail Park
- The Women's Veterans Program
- The Woodlands
- Toys for Tots
- Uran Youth Kings & Queens
- Variety
- Yeah Philly
