Created in 1987, the 34th edition of the Telethon starts this Friday 4 evening and will end this Saturday 5 December evening. As all French people are still confined, this edition will be special because it will be held online on the Internet. A period which therefore pushes the association to reinvent itself.
An event disrupted by the health situation
Due to the health crisis, most volunteer activities are canceled. Generally, they represent nearly 40% of pledges according to Georges Salinas, departmental coordinator of Seine-Maritime. This year, only 30% of the usual activities will be able to take place with take-away sales. Only the sale of Telethon products has been authorized on the markets.
A situation that worries organizations for the collection of donations. Nationally, the AFM-Telethon estimates that the drop in donations could be of the order of 35 million euros. As a reminder, the event raised more than 87 million euros last year. In 2019, 220 events were organized in Rouen and Dieppe, raising € 580,000.
Actions implemented this year
The popular and charitable event is therefore turning to digital. In addition to the broadcast from 6:45 p.m. on France Télévisions channels, the organizers are offering online challenges from tonight until late Saturday night. They also launched a campaign for popular mobilization online and encourage donations by even offering ” 8 tips and tricks to mobilize yourself, without moving (too much) “. Donations are also made on the Internet and it is possible to centralize donations from relatives and family. For more information or to make a donation, visit the official website of the Telethon.
