originally published: 01/11/2024

(PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- Philadelphia Eagles' players Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and Jordan Mailata, aka The Philly Specials, have donated over $3 million from selling their limited edition holiday vinyl, A Philly Special Christmas Special (Vera Y Records).  Recipients include Children’s Crisis Treatment Center's toy drive and summer camp, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Snowflake Station, Philabundance, Ronald McDonald House, Feed America, Toys for Tots, and the Fresh Air Fund, amongst others. In addition to the initial commitment to CCTC and CHOP, each musician who participated in the project selected organizations to receive donations.

“I am overwhelmed with gratitude that we were able to double the amount of money we donated last year,” shares executive producer Connor Barwin (Vera Y Records).   “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.”

“It’s a testament to the power of music, friendship, community, the city of Philadelphia, and most of all the enjoyment we had making and sharing these songs,” adds producer Charlie Hall.  “To be able to have this kind of an impact on such a breadth of worthy organizations is both humbling and is truly the icing on the cake.”

Released in advance of A Philly Special Christmas Special, singles “This Christmas,” “All I Want for Christmas is You,” “Fairytale of Philadelphia,” and “Pretty Paper” have garnered over 10 million streams across platforms, “Fairytale of Philadelphia” reached #1 on iTunes, 61,000 units have been sold on vinyl and the stop motion special created by unPOP Animation, A Philly Special Christmas Special, has been viewed half a million times with 10,000 live viewers tuning in to its premiere on Thanksgiving night.

Following the runaway success of their debut LP, A Philly Special Christmas, Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and Jordan Mailata reunited with producer Charlie Hall and executive producer Connor Barwin to release their second holiday album, A Philly Special Christmas Special.  Recorded during the NFL off-season and comprised of ten holiday classics and an original tune by Kelce, ‘Santa’s Night,’ a limited-edition LP, has been released on red vinyl, a double disc of A Philly Special Christmas Special and 2022’s A Philly Special Christmas released on limited edition gold vinyl in addition to the album being available on all streaming services.

Recorded and mixed once again by Nick Krill, the trio called upon local musicians, including Patti LaBelle, Amos Lee, The Hooters’ Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman, DMHotep (Sun Ra Arkestra), Kevin Hanson (The Fractals, Huffamoose), Luke Carlos O’Reilly, Waxahatchee, members of The War on Drugs, Dr. Dog, mewithoutYou, and The Silver Ages Choir amongst others to truly make this a Philly special. 

 

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A Philly Special Christmas special recipients include: 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.

 

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