Teletón (Mexico)

The current logo

The Teletón in Mexico is an annual 24-plus-hour TV and radio broadcast, started in 1996, to raise money for children's rehabilitation centers (known as Centro de Rehabilitación Infantil Teletón or CRIT – "Teletón Children's Rehabilitation Center" in English) for disabled children. Mexico's proposal was due to the initiative of Fernando Landeros. 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".

Since 1997, Teletón has begun on the first Friday in December. The 2010 Teletón was held on December 3–4; as always, it was seen as "a project of national unity where Mexicans have the chance to gather and work for the same cause". From 1996–2003, the end of the event was marked by a concert in Azteca Stadium. Since 2004, the venue has varied: in 2004–2005 it was held at Mexico City's Zócalo, in 2006 at the Foro Sol and in 2007–2008 it was moved to the National Auditorium.

Besides creating CRITs all around the country, the CRIT system and the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM) signed an agreement in 2000 creating two bachelors-degree programs training professionals to work with children at the CRITs, and created the Instituto Teletón de Estudios Superiores (ITESUR) (located next to the first CRIT constructed). ITESUR is the only university in Mexico that grants degrees in occupational and physical therapy.

From 1997 to 2004, Mexican actress and pop star Lucero was involved in every Teleton as the main spokesperson for most of the broadcast, alongside different news anchor and host of other Televisa programs. In 2003, a scandal involving security guards and the press made her to have her role been downplayed, and other Televisa personalities have been included in the broadcast.

While the main reason of the Teleton is to provide help with the rehabilitation of children that suffer of different brain and mobility discapacities, in 2009 Teletón expanded the objectives to provide help in the treatment of children diagnosed with cancer, hence another event was conceived, Pelonton, consisting of the people donating locks of hair in order to create wigs for those children that suffered loss hair due to cancer treatment.

CRIT locations

The first Teletón was broadcast on December 12, 1997, produced by Televisa and 70 other communications media. By the end of the broadcast, its goal was surpassed. Since then, the goal has been the same amount raised the previous year, plus one Mexican peso.

As of 2007, Teletón had met its goal each year, producing surpluses which allowed the construction of thirteen CRITs. The location of some CRITs is chosen on a geographical basis, so that every region has at least one; the goal is to build one in every state. Others are built in areas which have "earned" them with funds raised:

Green: states with CRITs (darker green = more CRITs)

• Mexico State - May 13, 1999
• Jalisco - September 29, 2000
• Oaxaca - December 7, 2001
• Aguascalientes - December 6, 2002
• Coahuila - December 5, 2003
• Guanajuato - December 5, 2003
• Hidalgo - November 25, 2005
• Chihuahua - November 23, 2006
• Chiapas - November 28, 2006
• Quintana Roo - November 29, 2007
• Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico State - November 27, 2007
• Tamaulipas - November 26, 2008
• Yucatán - January 14, 2009
• Veracruz - November 18, 2009
• Durango - November 25, 2009
• Sonora - November 15, 2010
• Baja California Sur - November 23, 2010
• Puebla - November 24, 2011
• Mexico City - November 25, 2011
• Guerrero - November 22, 2012

Media participation

In its first broadcast, Teletón (CRIT) counted the participation of 70 national media; the TV and radio stations affiliated with Televisa made it a nationwide campaign. The 2007 broadcast had the participation of more than 500 national and international media; one exception is the other major Mexican TV network, TV Azteca, due to a signal-distribution conflict. 2007 also marked the first time donations were received from foreign countries (from Spain, and from the Hispanic population in the United States and Canada.

Broadcasts

Sponsors

The Teletón production is supported by enterprises who also finance year-round expenses of the CRITs. There is only one sponsor for each product category.

The first broadcast had nine sponsors; by 2008 the number was 26. Some businesses which have participated are:

Teletón USA

In 2012, Teletón, in cooperation with the Univision television network, created Teletón USA, an American charity with the same aim to help sick, disabled, and mentally-challenged children in America's Hispanic communities. Its first telethon was broadcast December 14 and 15, 2012 on the Univision network, and was hosted by famed Univision personality Don Francisco, who has hosted a similar telethon in Chile. The first edition of Teletón USA took US$8,150,625 in pledges, exceeding its initial goal of US$7 million.^[2]

Notes

External links

• Official website
• ORITEL - Organización Internacional de Teletones (Pan-Latin-American organisation which Teletón Mexico is a part of)
• Teletón USA