Teleton USA has reached its goal.
The 28-hour telethon, the first for Univision and for the Fundación Teletón in the United States, first raised $7,289,589 shortly before 1:50 a.m. EST, passing the goal of $7 million dollars, however, at 1:56 a.m., the final tally for the televised event showed $8,150,625.
The teleton started on Friday, Dec. 14 at 10 p.m. EST for a goal of $7 million with Sabado Gigante host Don Francisco, journalist Jorge Ramos, singer Lucero, and Galilea Montijo serving as hosts. Francisco also served host for the first Teleton event in Chile back on Dec. 9, 1978.
Similar Teleton events take place across 13 Latin American countries, including Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, Brazil, Guatemala, Peru, and Puerto Rico, to name a few.
Teleton USA organizers were hoping the event will promote national unity especially amongst Latinos, promote a culture of integration for people with a disability, cancer, or has autism, and distribute funds for the construction and operation of rehabilitation centers for children with disabilities in Texas, due to its location in the US.
The children's rehabilitation center will be known as the Centro de Rehabilitación Infantil Teletón (CRIT).
Teleton USA gathered over 100 television personalities across six host cities, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Puerto Rico, and Texas with stories from 28 families detailing the struggles their child is facing.
After reaching the goal, Teleton USA President Fernando Landeros said, "I want to thank God, our creator and all of these children. From my heart, I want to say thank you to all the donors and to the children that their CRIT will come soon."
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