The recent Easter Seals Telethon in Peterborough, Ont., raised more than $92,000 to assist children with physical disabilities.
Held on Sunday, the 49th Easter Seals Telethon aired on YourTV and Global Peterborough. On Thursday, Easter Seals Eastern Ontario announced the event raised just over $92,000 in support of Easter Seals Kids which surpassed the initial goal of $80,000.
Coralie Jacobs, Easter Seals manager of development for Eastern Ontario, said the feat is impressive given a reduced volunteer team this year with just a handful of hosts and pre-recorded visits from Easter Seals kids at the YourTV Peterborough station.
“Our host team did an amazing job of sharing the stories of our families and Easter Seals kids and making the ask on their behalf, and the phones started ringing and didn’t stop,” she said.
“We were committed to proceeding with fundraising efforts because the families still need our support.
“The telethon is well suited to the restrictions of COVID-19, in that we can encourage people to stay home and phone in.”
The telethon was postponed in April due to the pandemic. Jacobs notes there has been a shift in the allocation of funds from sending children to accessible summer camp to more requests for essential home equipment.
“This has been a difficult 18-plus months for a lot of us, but for children with physical disabilities and their families the challenges have truly been extraordinary,” she said.
“The ongoing lockdowns, restrictions, and delays have meant there are still so many children living at home without the essential equipment that would provide them with greater dignity as well as safety in the home for both the kids and their caregivers. Easter Seals Ontario has received record high numbers in requests for equipment funding.”