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 purportedly worthy cause.
The Fundación Teletón is an annual 24-plus-hour TV and radio broadcast in Mexico, started in 1996, 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 1979 Chilean telethon was the second version of the solidarity campaign held in Chile, which took place on November 30th and December 1st, 1979. The theme of this version was "Let's repeat the unbelievable." The symbolic girl was Valeria Arias.
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 1988 Chilean telethon was the eighth version of the solidarity campaign conducted in Chile, which took place on 2 and 3 December 1988. The theme of this version was "It's Everybody's Task," and the official theme song Soy tu amigo, was sung by Miguel Zabaleta and Cecilia Echenique. The poster boy was Rodrigo Caceres, who is remembered for having memorized all the companies sponsoring the event.
The 1991 Chilean telethon was the tenth version of the solidarity campaign conducted in Chile, which took place on 29 and 30 November 1991. The theme of this version was "Thanks to You" as a way of thanks to the Chilean public who had participated in the campaign for 13 years.
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, 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 2006 Chilean telethon was the 20th version of the charity campaign held in Chile since 1978. The theme of this version was "With all my heart". The event was held during 1–2 December 2006. The poster girl chosen for the campaign was Kelly Rodriguez.
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 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 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.
