The holiday season touches us all in some way, and for a number of years Cherry Hill East students have been reaching out to others through the FOP Holiday Party.

This year the annual Fraternal Order of Police, or FOP, Holiday Party will be hosted once again by Cherry Hill East High School students. The FOP Holiday Party is an annual event where almost a hundred disabled children from the surrounding area can visit the Crown Plaza for a Christmas party. At the party, the kids can go to over seventy tables to make decorations, listen to Christmas carolers and meet Santa Claus. The event is made possible under the leadership of overall chairpersons Amanda Escobar and Brett Levine and through the participation of over 300 East students.

Levine said, “This year [the party has] a wider variety of activities than any other previous years.”

Dan Desrochers (’11), who has participated in FOP for two years said, “It’s a really good thing to do. Just being able to see the look on the kids’ faces and knowing that you’re making their holiday special is really fulfilling.”

“It’s a great way for me to serve the community through my artistic ability, while at the same time ensuring that these kids enjoy the holiday season as much as I do,” said Dan Dismore (’09), who created posters.

FOP is unique in that it allows its participants to give back to the community in a very special way.