HPU Students to Host Telethon to Support At-Risk Children
HIGH POINT, N.C., April 9, 2026 – Students in High Point University’s Nido R. Qubein School of Communication will produce and participate in a live, six-hour telethon on Sunday, April 12, with the goal of raising $10,000 to support at-risk K-12 students in the city of High Point.
HPU Vision, the university’s student-led news and entertainment network, will host the telethon from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. in partnership with Communities In Schools of High Point (CISHP). The nonprofit provides support to local students and empowers them to stay in school and be successful in life. All the donations raised during the telethon will go directly to CISHP.
This is the first-ever live telethon hosted on HPU’s campus. It will be broadcast from HPU’s state-of-the-art TV studio in the School of Communication. The telethon will feature original content from HPU Vision, as well as performances from students, including an a cappella group, a student band and an improv troupe.
People can tune in by visiting HPU Vision’s YouTube page at www.highpoint.edu/hpu-vision-telethon. During the telethon, a QR code will be shown that will direct viewers to the CISHP website, where they can donate to the nonprofit. They can also donate directly at www.highpoint.edu/hpu-telethon-donations.
“To me, the benchmark of success for the telethon is how much money we are able to raise for Communities In Schools,” said Jack O’Donnell, HPU Vision’s president and a senior majoring in popular culture and media production from Avon, Connecticut. “However, the reasons we chose to put on a telethon are primarily related to HPU Vision. As a live broadcasting club, our talents lie in putting on shows like these, so we figured we would play to our strengths. On top of that, there are certain skills that large-scale shows like this teach that our typical smaller shows just don’t, such as large-scale group communication and precise time management of our programming. This show will give HPU students experiences that they cannot get in class or at your average internship.”
Courtney Lowe, executive director of CISHP, said the funds that HPU raises through the telethon can have a real and lasting impact on the students that the organization serves.
“Every dollar helps us provide critical support for students facing barriers both inside and outside the classroom — from meeting basic needs to offering encouragement, resources and relationships that help them stay engaged in school,” Lowe said. “We are incredibly grateful to the students at High Point University for partnering with us to invest in the success and well-being of local students.”
O’Donnell was among 16 students who were recognized as Extraordinary Leaders during HPU’s Honors Day ceremonies last April. He has volunteered with Communities In Schools, and after taking part in HPU Vision’s Election Night coverage over the past few years, he got the idea to hold a telethon to raise money for the nonprofit.
A year ago, O’Donnell shared his idea for the telethon with several faculty members, including Dr. Nahed Eltantawy, dean of the School of Communication, and Joe Michaels, HPU’s Broadcaster in Residence and professor of the practice of media production. They supported the idea, and they have assisted more than 30 students with HPU Vision to put on the telethon.
“My hope is that this will be an event that the members of HPU Vision will continue to put on in the future,” O’Donnell said.
