Skip to content

Telethon a way to show heart

Organizers of a charity for children with special needs are asking British Columbians to open their hearts and wallets to help.

Organizers of a charity for children with special needs are asking British Columbians to open their hearts and wallets to help.

Variety-The Children's Charity returns to television on Global BC with its 48th annual Show of Hearts Telethon, its biggest fundraising event during the year, this weekend Jan. 25 to 26. It is being broadcast slightly earlier this year because of the Sochi Olympic Winter Games in early February.

"The telethon is our signature fundraiser," said Variety executive director Bernice Scholten in a media release. "Once a year we ask viewers to invite us into their living rooms to see first hand the impact their donations make and ask them to support children who have special needs. Variety is about families supporting families and there's nothing more powerful than that."

Last year the charity raised over $7 million during the event. Variety provided grants to 1,277 families and to 32 organizations offering specialized programs and services to children with special needs. As with every Variety fundraising campaign, all the money raised stays in BC communities and goes to pay for things like new hospital equipment in neonatal intensive care units, expensive life-saving medications, physical therapies, mobility and communication devices and bursaries to special schools.

Viewers of the telethon can enjoy concert performances by artists known for their global work and philanthropic contributions.

The programming lineup this year includes performances by internationally renowned artists including Norah Jones, Adele, Mumford and Sons, dance troupe Cirque Du Soleil's Journey of Man and MusiCares Foundation tributes to Barbra Streisand and Bruce Springsteen.

More information about the entertainment lineup is available on-line. Donations can be made by calling toll free 604.310-KIDS (5437) or on-line at http://variety.bc.ca/.