The President of the Government of Catalonia, Artur Mas, emphasized last Sunday the positive response of the Catalan civil society to the 2013 edition of the Catalan telethon "La Marató de Catalunya”, where over €9.5 million were raised for research on neurodegenerative diseases. The previous edition of this telethon was recognized by the Official World Record as the one raising the highest revenue per capita in the world. According to President Mas, this ‘says a lot about our citizens and about our country’. The President made this statement during his participation as a volunteer in the Barcelona call center service for donations of the 2013 edition of “La Marató”.
“La Marató de TV3”, a TV broadcast aiming at raising awareness and funds for incurable diseases and at entertaining
“La Marató de TV3” is an annual telethon broadcast by the National television of Catalonia and by its own Foundation with the purpose of raising funds for scientific research on diseases which are currently incurable. But “La Marató de TV3” is more than just a fund-raising initiative. It also raises awareness among the Catalan society about these diseases while it makes a case for research aimed at preventing such diseases and finding a cure for them.
TV3 was the first public television station in Spain to broadcast a telethon in 1992. While these programmes enjoy a long tradition in the USA and in other European countries, they posed a new challenge at the time for the Catalan television. TV3’s work over the past years has turned this telethon into an enormous success.
This live television programme is broadcast in December every year and lasts about 15 hours. Every year “La Marató” attracts an audience of more than 3 million viewers and mobilizes so many people that it is regarded as Catalonia's greatest event of community spirit and altruism. It is the most successful TV broadcast fund-raising event in Spain and ranks among the most renowned international telethons.
The Telethon with the highest per capita contributions in the world
The Official World Record certifies that “La Marató de TV3” was the Telethon with the highest revenue per capita in the world in its 2012 edition. Last year’s telethon to promote research on cancer ended with a world record of € 12,387,634 i.e. a contribution of € 1.64 per inhabitant - well above other telethons held in other countries, which puts it in the first place of the Telethon charity events organized around the world, based on per capita contributions.
Barcelona, European Capital of Volunteering in 2014
“La Marató de TV3” is another evidence of the spirit of solidarity and altruism of the Catalan people. The success of this charity event reinforces the selection of Barcelona as the European capital of Volunteering in 2014, in a ceremony held in the European Parliament on December 11 this year. It is noteworthy the recent approval by the Catalan Government of a draft proposal for a Law on Volunteering which aims at promoting, acknowledging and protecting the Catalan model of volunteering. The draft legislation comes in response to the needs and challenges of the sector and has collected the input of the main stakeholders in the country.
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