$2M for Telethon

Press, 26 July 1979, Page 7

$2M for Telethon

Money from telephone pledges and fund-raising stunts in aid of Telethon has poured into banks ail over New Zealand this month. Slightly more than $2 million of the $2.7 million pledged on July 1 has been banked. According to Mr T. Parkinson, national Telethon organiser for South Pacific Television- people throughout New Zealand have made good their pledges, and the organisers are more than confident that the $2.7 million pledged will be realised.

Suggestions have been made that this figure might even be surpassed and the final total might go as high as $3 million. However, Mr Parkinson said that that would be hard to judge. Telethon or.ganisers would probably not know the final figure until some time next year. “It has become more and more difficult, with each Telethon, to predict what the final figure will be,” he said. “When Telethon began five years ago, most of the money raised was from telephone pledges, but this has changed gradually

every year. More money now conies from fundraising efforts, and the telephone pledges have not been so numerous.” Money for this year’s Telethon, which was in aid of the International Year of the Child, can be sent to any branch of the Bank of New Zealand, or to Telethon, Private Bag. Christchurch or Auckland. A total of $3,005,750 was pledged last year during Telethon, in aid of the Rheumatism and Arthritis Foundation. The final amount banked was $3.2 million.