Athens Charity Week 2026
Charity Week is an annual lineup of events that Athens High School hosts to raise money and awareness for a charity that will have a lasting impact on the Troy community. The New Day Foundation was Athens’ proud choice for this year’s Charity Week. The foundation supports families fighting cancer across our state of Michigan, helping them pay bills and put food on the table while they navigate the difficulties of a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Athens students easily rallied behind the foundation as cancer is a disease that has touched many families and individuals in our community.
Students showed up to show their support at a multitude of events hosted during Charity Week. Starting early on the first day of Charity Week, Monday, February 9th, students were treated with pancakes for breakfast during their first and second hours. Pancakes were being flipped all throughout the halls by Athens community members and parents of students. Just a couple hours later, a Charity Week favorite returned once again for a mesmerizing performance at the hypnosis show. To wrap up the jam-packed first day of the week, students wound down with the cozy Espresso Yourself showcase, where students shared their talents in areas like music and poetry.
Tuesday had students on the edge of their seats with the Athens TV Film Fest during second and third hour. Most of the short films shown made their debut at the film festival and are currently entered in many regional, state, and national level film competitions. After school, carnival night entertained community members of all ages, hosting a variety of games and activities run by Athens clubs, sports, and other opportunities everyone at Athens can join and enjoy.
Another Charity Week fan favorite, coin stalls, returned on Wednesday to keep teachers from teaching and keep coins flowing in to donate to New Day. Start saving your spare change now for Charity Week 2027! After a long day of stalling lessons, students brought all their energy to the volleyball tournament. Ruthless and competitive, but also lots of fun, the tournament ended with a tension-filled final game and win by team Freeball Merchants.
Thursday brought another round of delayed lessons with Jail and Bail running the entire day. Students jailed themselves and their teachers to get out of class and have a great time enjoying activities in the gym. Who knew jail could be so fun? In the evening, Athens parents competed for the hearts (and stomachs) of students at the parent cook-off. Filled with delicious desserts, snacks, and dishes of all kinds, everyone won in the end by enjoying some of the best homecooked food in the city. Right after the cook-off, the long-awaited Mr. Athens pageant took place in the packed auditorium. Community members and students alike joined together to donate to and enjoy performances by their favorite Mr. Athens candidate. Those candidates included Sahas Ravoor, Colin Blachford, Will MacFarland, and Andrew Lennon, with Colin ending up taking the crown and prestigious title of Mr. Athens 2026. In total, the Mr. Athens candidates raised over $10,000 through their campaigns and the pageant for the New Day Foundation!
Finally, Charity Week 2026 came to a close during Friday at the pep assembly. After rooting for classmates competing in various minigames such as relay races and dodgeball, students gathered together and eagerly watched as the grand total from Charity Week 2026 was revealed.
In total, the Athens community raised $102,103.33 for the New Day Foundation for families fighting cancer! Charity Week once again not only raised an outstanding amount of money for charity, but also gave students, staff, parents, and community members a chance to volunteer and serve a larger cause.
A big thanks to the New Day Foundation for being an amazing charity to work with and for giving families hope and light in some of the darkest times. And although Charity Week is over, Athens hopes it has inspired another wave of students and young adults to make an impact on challenges their community faces through advocacy and volunteering. See you next year for Charity Week 2027!
Blog post by Nikhil Rao, a Creative Guild Student Producer.