The Fundación Teletón is a Mexican annual 24-plus-hour TV and radio broadcast in Mexico, started in 1996, based on the Chilean event of the same name, to raise money for children's rehabilitation centers (known as Centro de Rehabilitación Infantil Teletón or CRIT – "Teletón Children's Rehabilitation Center" in English). The Mexican Teletón is produced by Televisa and more than 500 Mexican and foreign media; more than 100 commercial firms sponsor the event. Teleton's mission is "to provide knowledge about physical disabilities, giving a strong message about respect, equality and support to people in these conditions". Teletón is the world's largest private medical unit and rehabilitation center for children.
Since 1997, Teletón has begun on the first Friday in December. The 2010 Teletón was held on December 3–4; as always, it was seen as "a project of national unity where Mexicans have the chance to gather and work for the same cause". From 1996 to 2003, the end of the event was marked by a concert in Azteca Stadium. Since 2004, the venue has varied: in 2004 and 2005, it was held at Mexico City's Zócalo, in 2006, at the Foro Sol and in 2007 and 2008, it was moved to the National Auditorium.
Besides creating CRITs all around the country, the CRIT system and the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM) signed an agreement in 2000 creating two bachelors-degree programs training professionals to work with children at the CRITs, and created the Instituto Teletón de Estudios Superiores (ITESUR) (located next to the first CRIT constructed). ITESUR is the only university in Mexico that grants degrees in occupational and physical therapy. In 2012, it was inaugurated in State of Mexico the Centro Autismo Teletón (CAT) which will help children with autism.
From 1997 to 2004, Mexican actress and pop star Lucero was involved in every Teleton as the main spokesperson for most of the broadcast, alongside different news anchor and host of other Televisa programs. In 2003, a scandal involving security guards and the press made her to have her role been downplayed, and other Televisa personalities have been included in the broadcast.
While the main reason of the Teleton is to provide help with the rehabilitation of children that suffer of different brain and mobility discapacities, in 2009 Teletón expanded the objectives to provide help in the treatment of children diagnosed with cancer, hence another event was conceived, Pelonton, consisting of the people donating locks of hair in order to create wigs for those children that suffered loss hair due to cancer treatment. In 2013, it was inaugurated the first oncology children's hospital in Latin America, named Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología or HITO in the city of Querétaro.
CRIT locations
The first Teletón was broadcast on December 12, 1997, produced by Televisa and 70 other communications media. By the end of the broadcast, its goal was surpassed. Since then, the goal has been the same amount raised the previous year, plus one Mexican peso.
From 1997 to 2014, Teletón had met its goal every year, producing surpluses which allowed the construction of twenty-one CRITs, one CAT and one HITO. The location of some CRITs is chosen on a geographical basis, so that every region has at least one; the goal is to build one in every state. Others are built in areas which have "earned" them with funds raised:
State of Mexico - May 13, 1999 Jalisco - September 29, 2000 Oaxaca - December 7, 2001 Aguascalientes - December 6, 2002 Coahuila - December 5, 2003 Guanajuato - December 5, 2003 Hidalgo - November 25, 2005 Chihuahua - November 23, 2006 Chiapas - November 28, 2006 Quintana Roo - November 29, 2007 Nezahualcóyotl, State of Mexico - November 27, 2007 Tamaulipas - November 26, 2008 Yucatán - January 14, 2009 Veracruz - November 18, 2009 Durango - November 25, 2009 Sonora - November 15, 2010 Baja California Sur - November 23, 2010 Puebla - November 24, 2011 Mexico City - November 25, 2011 Ecatepec, State of Mexico - November 14, 2012 (Centro Autismo Teletón) Guerrero - November 22, 2012 Michoacán - November 14, 2013 Querétaro - November 21, 2013 (Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología) Baja California - December 11, 2015 Tlapa de Comonfort - November 26, 2023 Sinaloa - December 3, 2023
Controversies Tax deductions Since its inception, the Telethon has been accused of allowing the companies that sponsor it to deduct taxes and be free of payments through their donations and not be transparent with the money obtained by the contributions of citizens, because these are made in an anonymous and without granting a tax receipt to support the transaction.
Faced with these accusations, the Fundación Teletón has responded declaring that the tax deduction is a legal figure permitted by the government and that the system used prevents donations from being used for tax evasion. On the other hand, the Servicio de Administración Tributaria stipulates that the maximum amount that a moral person can deduct from taxes through donations is 10% of net profit.
Researcher Sara Murúa considered that this tax method is based on a legal loophole and declared that "the fundamental problem with this type of foundation is the triangulation of its funds, which allows large donors to have privileged tax mechanisms to exempt taxes and, even, for them to declare as their own the donations of third parties, especially individuals." The latter was criticized in reference to donations made anonymously by people, thus benefiting the image of companies.
United Nations reactions The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the United Nations (UN) stated in a communication, dated October 3, 2014, its concern about the way in which government resources are administered in the area of rehabilitation of persons with disabilities due to the fact that Mexico grants funds so that the Fundación Teletón - a private organization - is in charge of public health tasks that are the responsibility of the government.
At the same time, this international body criticized the way in which the Fundación Teletón makes people with disabilities look, adding that it "observes that this campaign promotes stereotypes of people with disabilities as subjects of charity [...] Also, it recommends [the committee to the Mexican government] develop programs to raise awareness about people with disabilities as rights holders". Likewise, it asks the Mexican government to investigate and prosecute institutions that apply forced sterilizations to people with disabilities, and guarantee reparations to the victims of this practice. Finally, the international organization delivered a document with 67 recommendations to the federal government of Mexico and Telethon, which to date has not been addressed.
2014 anonymous donation incident During the final moments of Teleton 2014, the total collected was initially announced as 418,009,379 MXN, falling short of the 473,794,379 MXN goal. Televisa then announced the event would be lengthened by an hour to try to achieve the goal. A mysterious donation of 55,785,000 MXN was then made by an anonymous party, helping surpass the stablished goal. To this day, the source of the donation remains unknown, with the public speculating that it was just a ploy to end the event in a high note.
Media participation
During its first broadcast, Teletón (CRIT) counted with the collaboration of 70 different national media companies; with the TV and radio stations affiliated with Televisa making it a nationwide campaign. The 2007 broadcast had the participation of more than 500 national and international media. One notable exception is TV Azteca, another major mexican media conglomerate and competitor to Televisa due to a signal-distribution conflict. 2007 also marked the first time donations from foreign countries were received.
Year 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Total Media 70 229 287 336 392 428 471 506 560 577 580
Media Number (2007) TV Stations 72 Radio Stations 77 Newspapers 192 Magazines 131 External Media 103 International Media 5 Total 580
Broadcasts
{| class="wikitable" |- ! Broadcast ! Dates ! Goal ! Total Raised ! Margin (%) ! Approx. USDMXN/USD equivalence made with exchange rate current at time of event ! Motto ! Translation ! Mission |- | Teletón México 1997 | December 12–13 | MXN$894,000,000 | MXN$338,496,8403 | +73.12% | $17,015,608MXN 8.1394 = USD 1 | "Juntos haremos el milagro" | "Together we will make the miracle" | To build and equip the first two CRITs in Mexico State and Occidente Establish the Teletón Fund for Institutional Support (Fondo Teletón de Apoyo a Instituciones - FTAI) to help other institutions serving the same population To donate 8% of the total to victims affected by Hurricane Pauline |- | Teletón México 1998 | December 4–5 | $138,496,841 | $142,937,440 | +3.20% | $14,365,571MXN 9.95 = USD 1 | "El amor hace milagros" | "Love makes miracles" | To secure operating funds for the two CRITs Continue the FTAI |- | Teletón México 1999 | December 3–4 | $142,937,441 | $158,224,117 | +10.70% | $16,598,212MXN 9.5326 = USD 1 | "El amor hace milagros" | "Love makes miracles" | To grant "scholarships" for the two CRITs Continue the FTAI |- | Teletón México 2000 | December 8–9 | $158,224,118 | $201,168,475 | +27.14% | $21,019,641MXN 9.5705 = USD 1 | "Vamos a dar" | "Let's give" | To build and equip the third CRIT in Oaxaca To grant "scholarships" for (and ensure future operation of) the two original CRITs Continue the FTAI |- | Teletón México 2001 | December 7–8 | $201,168,476 | $207,408,620 | +3.10% | $22,446,577MXN 9.2401 = USD 1 | "Te estamos esperando" | "We're waiting for you" | To build and equip the fourth CRIT in Aguascalientes To grant "scholarships" for the three CRITs Continue the FTAI To donate 5% of the total raised to families of Mexican victims who died in the September 11 attacks |- | Teletón México 2002 | December 6–7 | $207,408,621 | $217,876,247 | +5.05% | $21,266,178MXN 10.2452 = USD 1 | "¡Un paso más!" | "One more step!" | To build the fifth and sixth CRITs, in Coahuila and Guanajuato To grant "scholarships" for the four CRITs Continue the FTAI |- | Teletón México 2003 | December 12–13 | $217,876,248 | $247,759,351 | +13.72% | $22,145,691MXN 11.1877 = USD 1 | "Lo hacemos todos" | "We all make it" | To equip the fifth and sixth CRITs in Coahuila and Guanajuato To grant "scholarships" for the four CRITs Continue the FTAI |- | Teletón México 2004 | December 3–4 | $247,759,352 | $305,650,421 | +23.37% | $27,424,153MXN 11.1453 = USD 1 | "Unidos por el amor" | "Together for love" | To build and equip the seventh CRIT in Pachuca, Hidalgo To grant "scholarships" for the six CRITs Continue the FTAI |- | Teletón México 2005 | December 2–3 | $305,650,422 | $349,190,470 | +14.25% | $33,178,187MXN 10.5247 = USD 1 | "Ayudar es amar" | "Helping is loving" | To build and equip the eighth and ninth CRITs, in Chihuahua and Chiapas To grant "scholarships" for the seven CRITs Continue the FTAI |- | Teletón México 2006 | December 8–9 | $349,190,471 | $420,369,748 | +20.38% | $38,723,055MXN 10.8558 = USD 1 | "Necesitamos tu amor" | "We need your love" | To build and equip the tenth and eleventh CRITs in Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico and Cancun, Quintana Roo Ensure operating funds for the nine CRITs Continue the FTAI |- | Teletón México 2007 | December 7–8 | $420,369,749 | $439,968,534 | +4.66% | $40,599,862MXN 10.8367 = USD 1 | "El Teletón eres tú" | "You are Teletón" | To build and equip the twelfth and thirteenth CRITs in Tamaulipas and Yucatán Ensure operating funds for the eleven CIRTs Continue the FTAI To donate 10% of the total raised to help the affected populations of the 2007 Tabasco flood and Chiapas landslides |- | Teletón México 2008 | December 5–6 | $439,968,535 | $440,404,909 | +0.09%