The Philly Specials are back with one last surprise this holiday season, with the release of âRun Rudolph Runâ, another massive and unexpected collaboration- this time with Jon Bon Jovi. Â
This comes on the heels of Operation Snowball, which saw Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and Jordan Mailata â surprising students at Ben Franklin High School, Eliza B. Kirkbride School, and Alliance Charter School as Operation Snowball arrived via motorcade which included The Philly Specialsâ red Astrovan, a Philly Specials toy truck, police escorts, three Amazon delivery vans, and a firetruck amongst others to hand deliver presents and celebrate the end of 2024!
In addition to providing a gift for every student and teacher in the School District of Philadelphia (1.1 million gifted items) in a partnership with The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, the players gave high fives, led sing-alongs, visited with classrooms, and hand-delivered gifts to students.
The students and teachers were delighted to share in the joy of the season and recognize the culmination of their hard work and dedication with some of the most recognizable NFL Eagles, all of the big four Philadelphia mascots (Swoop, The Phanatic, Gritty, Franklin), Paw Patrolâs Chase, Eagles security Big Dom, honorary Eagles fan, comedian Pete Davidson, Wallo & Gillie Da King and the Operation Snowball global partners. Â Joining The Philly Specials were Governor Josh Shapiro, PA Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton, The School District of Philadelphiaâs Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr., Ed. D., President and CEO of The Fund For The School District of Philadelphia, Kathryn Epps, and representatives from the global retailers, toy companies and nonprofits who partnered with The Philly Specials to help bring Operation Snowball to life.
âWhen the guys said they wanted to give each student and teacher in the School District of Philadelphia a gift from the record this year, I knew it was ambitious, but I also knew if we could tap into that special spirit in Philadelphia, we could do it, â says Vera Y Recordsâ executive producer, Connor Barwin. âAnd together, many people who care and love this city came together and willed Operation Snowball into existence. Visiting the schools with Kelce, Lane, Jordan, and our partners was incredibly rewarding and a day that none of us will forget. Seeing the joy and happiness throughout the schools on all of the studentsâ and teachers’ faces is what itâs all about and a perfect way to celebrate the success of what has been an incredible three years making a holiday trilogy with these guys!â
âThese guys truly give their all in everything they do,â says producer and musical director Charlie Hall(The War On Drugs). âWe set out to do something filled with joy and friendship and bringing all those feelings from the studio into our schools was an incredible way to spread the fun to the students and teachers. One thing that was clearly evident in our school visits is that regardless of oneâs faith or how one celebrates the holidays, joy is universal. As the parent of children in the Philadelphia school district and spouse of an educator, I know that everyone involved will remember this day for years to come.âÂ
TRACK-LISTÂ
Side A
1. Last Christmas (George Michael)
2. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Johnny Marks)
3. Having A Party (Sam Cooke)
4. Christmas Donât Be Late (David Seville)
5. Feliz Navidad (JosĂŠ Feliciano)
6. Maybe This Christmas (Ron Sexsmith)
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Side B
1. Itâs Christmas Time (In Cleveland Heights) (Zach Miller)
2. Loud Little Town (Brandon Beaver)
3. Please Come Home For Christmas (Charles Brown & Gene Redd)
4. Sleigh Ride (Leroy Anderson & Mitchell Parish)
5. Santa Drives An Astrovan (Matt Quinn & Sam Cooper)
6. The Parting Glass (Traditional)
With the release of their third and final holiday album, A Philly Special Christmas Party (Vera Y Records), reaching #1 on Billboardâs Independent Albums Chart, #2 on Billboardâs Holiday Albums chart, Vinyl Chart, and Top Album Sales Chart, and #16 on Billboard’s Top 200, the players decided to do something that has never been done before for Phillyâs public school students and truly embrace the spirit and magic of the season. All proceeds from album sales support the citywide initiative as well as direct donations toThe Fund for The School District of Philadelphia.
The initial idea for Operation Snowball was sparked by Jason Kelce wanting to match the indomitable spirit of the City of Philadelphia by doing something BIG that would reach an unprecedented number of youth. When childrenâs entertainment company Spin Master generously donated close to $1 million worth of toys to get the initiative (and snowball) rolling, Operation Snowball was born. Spin Master is best known for its innovation in toys and games, including award-winning brands like PAW Patrolâ˘, Hatchimalsâ˘, and Rubikâs Cubeâ˘.
In addition to Spin Master, The Philly Specials teamed up with the following global partners, toy companies and nonprofits for Operation Snowball including: Just Play, Fanatics, Jazwares, QVC, Tarte Cosmetics, Toy Foundation, Amazon Wondery / Amazon Local Good, WildBrain, Five Below, Wawa, Shipmates and Zippy Shell.
âSanta Drives An Astrovan,â the albumâs third single, has reached #1 on the iTunes Holiday Charts and is accompanied by a music video shot before a live audience at Lincoln Financial Field. The first two singles from A Philly Special Christmas Party include the iTunes holiday chart topping Kelce and Stevie Nicksduet, âMaybe This Christmas,â and the charting  Jason, Travis, and Boyz II Men collaboration, âItâs Christmas Time (In Cleveland Heights).â Music video for âLoud Little Town,â featuring Jason and Kylie Kelce, was released via YouTube the night before Thanksgiving.
A Philly Special Christmas Special raised over $3M and singles, âThis Christmas,â âAll I Want for Christmas is You,â âFairytale of Philadelphia,â and âPretty Paperâ have garnered over 10M streams across platforms. âFairytale of Philadelphiaâ reached #1 on iTunes, 50,000 copies have been sold on vinyl and the stop motion special created by unPOP Animation, A Philly Special Christmas Special, has been viewed over 700,000 times with 10,000 live viewers tuning in to its premiere on Thanksgiving night. Its predecessor in 2022, A Philly Special Christmas, immediately sold out its limited pressing. The record reached four top ten spots on various Billboard Music Charts including #1 on the Compilation Albums Chart. A Philly Special Christmas donated over $1M to local charities including Childrenâs Crisis Treatment Center and fulfilled the wish lists of Philadelphia School District teachers via Donors Choose.