Nearly 1,250 students from Federal Way schools attended the U.S. debut of the star-studded We Day, held March 27 at Key Arena in Seattle. (SEE PHOTOS)

We Day is a youth-empowerment program that has been packing stadiums across Canada for years. More than 15,000 students gained admission to Wednesday’s event by performing a local and global act of charity.

Federal Way was well-represented. The Decatur High School Jazz Choir sang “Will You Be There” with Oscar- and Grammy-winning performer Jennifer Hudson. In addition, Federal Way High School student Caleb Dawson shared his school’s success in embracing the We Day mantra through record-setting Halloween food drives.

Last October, the We Scare Hunger effort organized in Federal Way netted 12,562 pounds of food with help from 350 students.

“That is the power of We Day,” Dawson told the crowd, which gave him a standing ovation.

Delaney Brown, a junior at Federal Way High School, got inside access to some of the celebrities at We Day and said the experience has further inspired her to pursue a career in photojournalism.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” she said.

As a surprise, the final act was Seattle-based rap duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, who whipped the crowd into a frenzy with the chart-topping single “Thrift Shop.” (SEE PHOTOS)

Other celebrities who delivered inspiring messages and performances at We Day Seattle included NBA legend Magic Johnson, rapper M.C. Hammer, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Grammy-award winner Nelly Furtado and YouTube sensation Kid President.

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is a co-chair for We Day Seattle, and said he hopes the event catches on in other cities with NFL teams. In fact, the next We Day event in the U.S. will be Oct. 8 in Minneapolis.

We Day is an offshoot of Free the Children, which was founded by brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger. The overall message throughout We Day is to inspire students to take the initiative and make their community – and the world – a better place for all.

Students at all levels in Federal Way schools have performed a number of service projects in the run-up to the We Day event. That includes several food drives as well as adopting a village in Sierra Leone that needs access to education, clean water and food.

PHOTOS

Check out a slideshow below or click here to see photos from We Day Seattle: