Chilean Telethon's logoInauguration of the 2008 telethon with the initial goal displayed
The 2008 Chilean telethon was the 22nd edition of the solidarity event in Chile, produced on 28 and 29 November 2008, which sought to raise funds for the rehabilitation of children with mobility problems.
The event, transmitted on Chilean TV channels grouped into ANATEL, began at 2200 on 28 November at the Teatro Teletón, from which most of the event was transmitted. There were also links to subsidiary events throughout the country. As in the previous 13 years, the closing ceremony of Telethon 2008 took place at the National Stadium of Chile. This ceremony started at 2200 on the next day and took the form of a great show in which Chilean and international artists participated.
The official slogan of this campaign was "Thanks to you, we can continue" and the focus was on commemorating the 30th anniversary of the first telethon, held in 1978. In this edition Catalina Aranda was chosen as the poster girl.
With nearly 29 hours of uninterrupted transmission, ending at 0251 on 30 November, it became the longest version in the history of the Telethon. The final amount raised was CL$22,533,294,849 (approx. US$39 million), almost 70% above the original goal of CL$13,255,231,970, making it the most successful Telethon since 1994. Around $8,000,000,000 was collected in only 7 hours.
During the campaign, Luis Haro set a new world record by playing tennis for more than 60 hours to support the cause.
It was the last Telethon under the first governorship of Michelle Bachelet.
Background
After the success achieved during the Telethon 2007 campaign - and after 30 years of existence - the solidarity campaign decided to mark some milestones in the new edition of 2008. Don Francisco (Mario Kreutzberger), the presenter and leader of the event, stated in May 2008 that the principal objective of the campaign would be to show the success achieved during its three decades of existence through the testimonies of health professionals, patients and their families, as well as the artists and all those who had actively participated.
The leaders of the Telethon Foundation emphasized the significance of fundraising during this event, as there were no plans to hold the event in the following year due to the scheduled presidential elections in December 2009. This recurring situation poses economic challenges for the organization considering the high cost of treatments, the increasing demand from new disabled patients, and the need to plan and develop new rehabilitation centers. Therefore, the presenters urged for greater donations to support the organization for the next two years.
In October the Telethon Foundation announced two large projects that it would be bringing together during this campaign. The first would be the enlarging of the Telethon Institute in Santiago,[1] which was in the evaluation stage with the Regional Metropolitan Government. The second would be the renovation of the Telethon Theatre, marking the bicentennial of the founding of Chile. The plans were for the construction of a new area with 1,600 seats, with space and facilities to accommodate any number of artists. In addition there would be an underground area of four floors, an event centre and a nine-storey tower.
The campaign would also seek to collect funds for the construction of four rehabilitation institutes in the cities of Calama, Coihaique, Copiapó and Valdivia. Although Telethon 2007 had provided a considerable sum for the construction of the Telethon Institute in Calama, various problems had delayed the project. Some days before the Telethon event the government, through the Ministry of Social Welfare, donated the land for the centres at Calama and Coihaique.
The Campaign
In early June the Telethon Foundation launched a competition called "Painting the Telethon" under the patronage of the Ministry of Education and the Faculty of Arts in the University of Chile and the sponsorship of various companies. The competition sought bring the campaign closer to young children of pre-school and junior school age, entering the best work into the promotional campaign of Telethon 2008. The last day of entry was 11 July and the prize-giving was on 19 August.[2]
The public launch of Telethon 2008 had been scheduled for 30 May in the "Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna" school in Santiago with Don Francisco. However, the previous day, the Government of Chile announced a period of official mourning for the air accident in Panama that cost the lives of the then Director General of the Carabineros, José Alejandro Bernales, and another 10 people. Therefore the Foundation decided to cancel this event and launch the campaign privately.
During August, when Chile was celebrating "Solidarity Month", Telethon launched an advertising campaign in various media to thank all those who had made possible the development and growth of the institution during its 30 years of existence. The campaign, named "National Pride", extended through the whole of August, delivering the message "Thanks to you" to everyone who had taken part. Members of the Telethon Institute for Children's Rehabilitation travelled Chile from north to south giving thanks to the community, the regional governments and the communications media. Starting that month, advertising spots on television broadcast the phrase "Thanks to you and all Chileans for the gift of these first 30 years of Telethon".
The official launch of Telethon 2008 finally took place on 3 September in the Telethon Theatre. In attendance were the senior authorities of the Institution, government representatives, the communications media, artists, and various people linked to charitable work. During the event Catalina Aranda, a girl of 11, was introduced as the poster girl for the campaign. The anthem "Gracias a tí" (Eng:Thanks to you), composed by Alberto Plaza and Mario Guerrero, was sung by well-known Chilean artists. The publicity campaign that would run during the following weeks in the communications media was developed by the Prolam, Young & Rubicam Publicity Agency; the Chilean film-maker Andrés Wood also took part.
In addition, on 5 September the programme "Telethon Ambassadors" was introduced. This initiative was organised by the Telethon Foundation and sought to make this innovative social marketing project into an inclusive project of corporate social responsibility. The event, put on in the Telethon Theatre, was attended by workers from the campaign's sponsoring companies, who were designated as official representatives of the Foundation within their companies with the goal of actively supporting the creation and development of promotional initiatives for Telethon 2008 in their workplace.
Final stage
Although the solidarity campaign was officially introduced in September, after which advertisements could be seen promoting the event, the Telethon 2008 campaign was relaunched on 27 October from the Hyatt Hotel Santiago, with the presence of Don Francisco and various Chilean artists. The relaunch, which commenced immediately after the municipal elections, marked the final stage of the advertising campaign of this edition.
During that event the structure of the show, to be televised on 28 and 29 November, was made known. It would include numerous Chilean and international artists and the popular sections like "Vedetón" (Cabaret), "Bailetón" (Dance-a-thon), and "Levántate papito" (Get Up, Daddy), as well as comedy acts and a showball match organized by the Chilean ex-footballer Iván Zamorano.[3] Within this plan a huge advertising sign would be inaugurated at midday on 28 October in part of Plaza Baquedano, a traditional meeting place in Santiago, to display the days and seconds until the event was to begin.
During November, the traditional Telethon Tour spread across the country, headed by Don Francisco and largely supported by various entertainers and artists who came along voluntarily. On the tour a number of occurrences filled the front pages of the daily papers. The inauguration of the Rehabilitation Centre in Valdivia for 2010 was announced, and in the city of Puerto Montt a woman made a karate attack by a woman on the guitarist of the group Chancho en Piedra during a song. Hours before the start of the telethon, the businessman Pedro Lizana said that "the telethon is a national disgrace, because disability is a concern of the state and is not a spectacle", similar accusations to those made by the communist leader Gladys Marín in 2002.
Entertainers
Comperes
As in all previous shows, the event was presented by Don Francisco, accompanied by presenters from the different Chilean television companies transmitting the programme.
The presenters nominated by each station affiliated with ANATEL were:
All times expressed in local (Chile continental) time (UTC-3)
Time
Section
Content and musical acts
22:00 - 01:20
Opening
The event commenced with a tribute to Telethon, marking 30 years since the inauguration of the solidarity campaign. The official theme song was performed by Mario Guerrero, Gloria Simonetti, Quique Neira, and Vanessa Aguilera among other Chilean artists. Then Don Francisco spoke with feeling. After this the President, Michelle Bachelet, spoke, handing over her donation and encouraging Chileans to support the great solidarity cause. The comperes and the call handlers were then introduced, followed by the humour of Stefan Kramer and Alvaro Salas. Before moving on to the next part of the show, Felipe Camiroaga presented the much-loved Cuban-American lawyer Ana Maria Polo, who said she felt very excited about the solidarity cause.
Musical acts
Mario Guerrero, Douglas, Juan Carlos Duque, Pollo Fuentes, Gloria Simonneti, Quique Neira - Gracias a tí, podemos seguir
This section, presented by Leo Caprile, Tomka Tomicic, Pollo Valdivia, Kike Morande and Rafael Araneda, featured 30 years of humour. Álvaro Salas introduced comedy acts that had appeared on previous Telethons such as: Antonio Vodanovic and Patricia Maldonado; "La cuatro dientes"Gloria Benavides; and Professor Salomon and Don Francisco as "Tutu tutu". Also returning to the show was the comedy team of Don Francisco, Luís Jara and Mandolino.
03:30 - 05:40
Dance-a-thon
This section was presented by Vivi Kreutzberger, Jose Miguel Viñuela, Julián Elfenbain, Luís Jara, Sergio Lagos and Rafael Araneda, and was broadcast from Teatro Caupolicán. Vivi Kreutzberger and Rafaela Carrá began the dancing, and then the 30 participants were introduced, including Willy Sabor, Renata Bravo, Alejandro Chávez, Pancho del Sur, and other celebrities. The judging panel consisted of Ricarte Soto, Raquel Argandoña and Italo Pasalaccua. The winning couple was Willy Sabor and Sarita Vazquez.
05:40 - 07:10
Cabaret
This section was led by Kike Morande, Juan Carlos Valdivia and Felipe Camiroaga. It included a tribute to 30 years of the Cabaret, and dance performances by Daniela Campos and Andrea Dellacasa. Comedy performers were Mauricio Flores with Francesca Cigna, Gisela Molineros and Patricia Cofre. Also appearing were the character Checopete The Poet and the model Pamela Diaz.
Musical acts
Garras de amor - Gotitas de lluvia
07:10 - 08:00
Chile Sunrise
Led by Rafael Araneda and Kike Morande, this section came from Valparaíso, a "breakfast" to rouse all Chileans, with a "freitón" and donations. There were also reports from branches of the Bank of Chile and stories of fundraising activities.
Musical acts
Los Afuerinos - Cuecas
08:00 - 08:30
Telethon News
Juan José Lavin, Karina Alvarez and José Luís Reppening. Round-up of the main news of this solidarity day.
08:30 - 10:55
Chile awakes
The morning section began with music from leading Chilean chefs. It was led by Vivi Kreutzberger, Tomka Tomicic, Sergio Lagos, Claudia Conserva, Eva Gomez and Ana María Polo. Breakfasts and donations were televised from different cities in the country. Pledges from the Líder and Ripley companies were announced (see below, "Pledges").
Musical acts
Los charros de Lumaco - How could I stop loving you
10:55 - 12:30
Get Up, Daddy
This began with tributes to leading children's programmes such as Cachureos and Mundo Magico with the participation of TV celebrities Martin Carcamo, Fernando Godoy, Gianella Marengo and the girls of BKN - Vanessa Aguilera, Camila Lopez, Vesta Lugg and Paulina Prohaska. There was a short presentation with Marcelo Hernandez showing some of the main themes of the Cachureos programme, and the section finished with "Celebra la vida" presented by BKN and Amango.
Musical acts
Homenaje a programas infantiles- Cachureos /Mundo Magico /Profesor Rosa
Banda de la Fuerza Aerea de Chile
Amango - Yo quiero volar
BKN - No voy a cambiar /Donde nos van a ganar
Cachureos - Himno de Cachureos /Las chica yeye /La mosca /Congelao
Gabriela Erns, Javier Castillo, Felipe Morales y Magdalena Muller - Celebra la vida
12:30 - 14:26
Futshow
A section led by Fernando Solabarrieta, presented in the Teatro Caupolicán. There were a red team and a white team, composed of ministers and sports players. The commentators were Pedro Carcuro and Aldo Shiappacasse.
14:26 - 15:00
News
Carola Urrejola, Felipe Vidal and Mónica Perez
15:00 - 18:00
Best of the Best
This section began with a musical introduction featuring the jury members - Patricia Maldonado, Julia Vial, Francisca García Huidobro and Fernanda Hansen. The candidates included Pedro Yadsel, Carlos Casseli, Ramón Farías, Fernando Godoy, Guido Vequiola and Carlos Embri. Also taking part were Felipe Camiroaga with his character "Luciano Bello"; the presenter of Buenos dias a todos, Patricio Frez; and Daniel Sagues doing an imitation of Luís Dimas.
This was the final section from the Teatro Teletón. It began with music from Los Maipucitos and Chilean folk groups. Inspiring stories were told about rehabilitation and the last reports from the regions were transmitted.
Musical de los 80 - Balija Diplomatica, Juán Antonio Labra and Celeste Carballo
Gloria Benavides - success medley with her characters.
Douglas and Andrés de León with the Telethon Choir - Todo se puede Lograr
News broadcasts on each channel (22:00-23:00)
23:00 - 03:51
Closing
The closing section began with Luís Jara singing Luís Miguel's "Dream Song". The fundraising target was reached at about 01:40, and the final total at 03:47 was $22,533,294,849.
To these should be added Más Canal 22, which broadcast the first hours of the event until 01.20 and the final part from 23.00 on 29 November. Chile National Television transmitted the entire event internationally, and it could also be seen live on the official website. The simultaneous transmission was only suspended between 22.00 and 23.00 hours when each channel transmitted its own programmes and/or newscast.
Financial contributions
Sponsoring companies
As in previous years all the sponsoring companies made their contribution in a single donation. The amount contributed came to CLP$3,243,574,119, equivalent to 24.4% of the final amount.
Líder supermarkets would donate $100 million if 400,000 items were purchased between 09.00 and 16.00 hours. At 15.30 the original goal was passed and it was then announced that the donation would be doubled if there were another 400,000 purchases before the shops closed.
Ripley would donate a Lokomat gait therapy device[4] to an extra rehabilitation centre if 40,000 purchases were made during Saturday. The goal was reached and then they would donate another machine if 70,000 purchases were made. At 20.00 hours they indicated that their shops would stay open later than normal, and that if the new target was reached they would also donate an extra CLP$50,000,000 to the Foundation. This also was fulfilled.
Sodimac Homecentre would donate CLP$60 million if more than 2,000 people with tools gathered in the shop in the area of Avenida Vicuña Mackenna and Avenida Circunvalación Américo Vespucio between 14.00 and 17.00 hours on Saturday. The goal was achieved at 18.30 hours and the $60,000,000 was delivered to the Telethon.
Auctions
As was done every year, the traditional auctions were arranged of objects donated to the Telethon. The results this year were:
The largest donations that day, indeed in the history of the Telethon up to then, were handed over by the businessmen Leonardo Farkas and José Luis Nazar, who each gave CLP$1,000 million (about USD$1.5 million). Both donations were in their own names, not on behalf of their businesses. Nevertheless, the mining entrepreneur (Farkas) admitted in the newspaper Las Últimas Noticias that $50 million of the $1,000 million came from the Santa Fe mining company.
Mario Luis Kreutzberger Blumenfeld, better known by his stage name as Don Francisco, is a Chilean television host, and a popular personality on the Univision network reaching Spanish-speaking viewers in the United States. He is best known for hosting the former variety shows Sábado Gigante, Don Francisco Presenta and Don Francisco Te Invita.
A telethon is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or even days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause.
The Fundación Teletón is a Mexican annual 24-plus-hour TV and radio broadcast in Mexico, started in 1996, based on the Chilean event of the same name, to raise money for children's rehabilitation centers. The Mexican Teletón is produced by Televisa and more than 500 Mexican and foreign media; more than 100 commercial firms sponsor the event. Teleton's mission is "to provide knowledge about physical disabilities, giving a strong message about respect, equality and support to people in these conditions". Teletón is the world's largest private medical unit and rehabilitation center for children.
Teletón is a charity event held in Chile on a yearly basis since 1978. It is usually held during the first week of December, unless a political election occurs at the same time. The major Chilean television networks hold a 27-hour transmission, to raise funds to help children with developmental disabilities treated at Instituto de Rehabilitación Infantil centers of the Fundación Teletón. In Chile, the transmission of Teletón is an event of national unity and, proportionately, the most widely watched telethon in the world.
Chile ayuda a Chile was a charity telethon being held from March 5 to March 6, 2010. The event was broadcast from Teatro Teletón in Santiago, Chile.
The 1978 Chilean telethon was the first version of the solidarity campaign held in Chile, which took place on December 8 and 9, 1978. The theme of this version was "Accomplish the miracle". The symbol girl for this first edition was Jane Hermosilla, although the strongest face of this campaign was the young Silvia Ceballos, who related how she overcame the effects of a serious car accident that left her in a wheelchair.
The 1979 Chilean telethon was the second version of the solidarity campaign held in Chile, which took place on November 30 and December 1, 1979. The theme of this version was "Let's repeat the unbelievable." The symbolic girl was Valeria Arias.
The 1985 Chilean telethon was the sixth version of the solidarity campaign conducted in Chile, which took place on 6 and 7 December 1985. The theme of this version was "The Miracle of All." The poster boy was Victor Munoz.
The 1987 Chilean telethon was the seventh version of the solidarity campaign conducted in Chile, which took place on 4 and 5 December 1987. The theme of this version was "To Believe in Life." The poster boy was Victor Torres.
The 1995 Chilean telethon was the 13th version of the solidarity campaign held in Chile since 1978. The theme of this version was "Our great work." The event took place on 1–2 December 1995. The chosen poster boy for the campaign was Marcel Cáceres.
The 1996 Chilean telethon was the 14th version of the solidarity campaign conducted in Chile. It took place on 6 and 7 December 1996. The theme of this version was "Another step forward."
The 1998 Chilean telethon was the 15th version of the solidarity campaign conducted in Chile. The theme of this version was "We All Matter." Happily surpassing the target, raising CL$ 6,029,912,577. the poster girl was Scarlett Barrientos. This edition was performed after 24 months without Telethon, because in December 1997 Chilean parliamentary elections were held.
The 2000 Chilean telethon was the 16th Teletón solidarity campaign held in Chile, nicknamed the "Millennium Telethon", taking place on 1–2 December 2000. The theme for 2000 was "A Challenge to all Chileans." The goal was met and exceeded with a final collection of CL$6,772,445,028. The poster boy for the event was Ignacio Soto.
The 2002 Chilean telethon was the 17th Telethon charity campaign held in Chile, which took place 29–30 November 2002. The theme was "The Telethon is Yours", due to the complicated economic situation the country was experiencing that year, and to the lack of a Telethon in 2001 because of the parliamentary election.
The 2003 Chilean telethon was the 18th version of the charity campaign held in Chile since 1978, which took place on November 21–22, 2003. As in the previous year the theme of this version was "The Telethon is Yours". The amount of money taken during the day suggested the goal would not be achieved, in the end it required a cash assistance by the Government of Chile to meet the goal. The poster boy chosen for the event was Camilo Valverde.
The 2007 Chilean telethon was the 21st version of the charity campaign held in Chile since 1978. In this edition, which was conducted between November 30 and December 1, 2007, the slogan was "You are in every step" and the poster boy chosen to represent the children helped in the Telethon Foundation was Matías Calderón.
The 2010 Chilean telethon was the 23rd version of this telethon, the aim this year being to raise funds for the rehabilitation of children with motor disabilities. The event, which aired over 27 consecutive hours through the Chilean television channels grouped in the National Television Association (Anatel), was broadcast live from the Telethon Theatre on December 3 and 4 and from the National Stadium in its final segments, and was produced and directed by Mauricio Correa. The poster child was Cristóbal Galleguillos, born with no upper limbs and malformed legs. It is the second national telethon after the Chile helps Chile, aired in March of that year, to be broadcast in HDTV. This version was performed 2 years after the previous because in December 2009 parliamentary and presidential elections took place. This was the first telethon to be held during the first government of Sebastián Piñera and as 2010 marked the nation's bicentennial year, it marked a historic climax to a year of celebrations and television specials, with the year's edition being a gift to the millions of Chileans who had helped the campaign through the decades.
The 2011 Chilean telethon was the 24th version of this solidarity event in Chile, to raise funds for the rehabilitation of children with motor disabilities. The event, which was aired over 27 consecutive hours through the Chilean television channels grouped in the National Television Association (Anatel), was held from Teletón Theatre on December 2 and December 3 and from the National Stadium in its final stage. The poster child was Isidora Guzmán, who suffers from cerebral palsy.
The 2015 Chilean telethon is the 27th version of the solidarity campaign to be held in Chile, which sought to raise funds for the rehabilitation of children with motor disabilities. Its slogan was La hacemos todos. It was held from the Teatro Teletón from 22:00 on Friday, 27 November until 21:00 on Saturday November 28 and from Julio Martínez National Stadium from 22:00 in its final stretch. The event ended fulfilling the goal with a final count of CLP30,601,978,621.
The 2016 Chilean telethon is the 28th version of the solidarity campaign to be held in Chile, which wants to raise funds for the rehabilitation of children with motor disabilities. It will be held from the Teatro Teletón from 22:00 on Friday, December 2 until 21:00 on Saturday, December 3 and from Julio Martínez National Stadium from 22:00 in its final stretch. The child symbol or "ambassador" of this edition is Vicente Jopia. Its slogan is El abrazo de Chile.
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