Caroling is far from a dead art in our town, so grab your mittens and a coat if holiday cheer is what you seek. Carols for a Cause (CFC) is a teen-led group of performers who are jingling all the way and promoting community-serving organizations at the same time. This year, they partnered with Katie’s Save and KatKid.
Katie’s Save is a program that advocates for university students’’ mental health. After Stanford student and soccer player Katie Meyer was lost to suicide, her family started pushing for nationwide institutional changes to provide more support by reforming university policies and raising awareness for the wellbeing of student athletes. KatKid is an initiative to raise environmental awareness for kids, through learning opportunities and sustainable products and apparel.
“I gather our performers’ input on what they care most about right now, and a lot of us named climate action as a priority,” CFC founder and Los Altos High School junior Julia Fung said. “I trained with Katie Meyer and was inspired by how her parents enacted change for other students after such a tragedy. Hence, the title for our annual holiday fundraiser this year is ‘Love, your World,’ which applies to both organizations.”
The show will be this Sunday, December 10, at 2 p.m. at the Palo Alto Art Center Auditorium, and admission is free. There will be 16 performers singing a total of 11 solo and group pieces, accompanied by an all-student band. Each beneficiary has a different donation link that audience members can donate to during the show.
“You know how us theater kids are — we find a way to spruce things up,” Julia said. “Bring a friend, tell your neighbor. Come take a break from finals stress and enjoy the music by our amazingly talented group. Donations are greatly appreciated, but only donate if you’re in the place; we understand that not everyone can.”
Julia had the idea to create a new outlet for performers in 2020 when COVID-19 shut down the arts and holiday festivities. The first beneficiary she chose was the theater company she was a part of at the time, which was struggling to stay open due to the toll the pandemic took on the arts.
CFC finds new causes to support each year and has branched out to an extension based out of Hartford, Connecticut for graduates. CFC has come a long way from pandemic-era YouTube live streams — they’re now bicoastal and looking to expand further.
“When I first started, I had a big idea and didn’t know what it really meant to handle all the logistics,” Jules said. “Not a lot of people are going to listen to a 12-year-old who’s like, ‘hey, I wanna do a cabaret,’ but I knew it would take a village and a little pushing. Our group is so passionate and supportive of one another. We’ve found a way to channel our love of performing to contributing to the community.”
LAHS freshman Mazie Reed and senior Sylvie Patterson both joined the CFC cast this year.
“The cast has been so cool, and it’s a really casual and welcoming space,” Mazie said. “I’ve gotten to be closer to people I wouldn’t have otherwise,”
Sylvie encourages others to support CFC and for music lovers to give it a try.
“Rehearsals are so fun, and you meet a bunch of great people,” Sylvie said.
“We’re just out here having fun, but I know there’s so many people these incredible organizations can help through donations,” Julia said. “Our impact is bigger than all of us.”
For more information and to donate, visit https://www.carolsforacause.com/.
Palo Alto Art Center Auditorium: 1313 Newell Road Palo Alto, CA 94303
