There are three things that most unite Chileans, I read in the paper, and we have been lucky to take part in all three. They are La Roja (the national soccer team), Fiestas Patrias (Independence Day) and Teleton. Teleton is a copy of the Jerry Lewis telethon, that is held every year and headed by Don Francisco—who is Chilean and known throughout Latin America for his show Sabado Gigante.
The difference is that—while I had to look up on the internet if Jerry Lewis’s telethon still even existed (it does)—in Chile you can not miss Teleton. Starting a month ago, seriously, 80% of TV commercials were products that mentioned their Teleton connection. All the schools collect money… I can’t even describe it—it’s like Christmas. The money goes to help disabled kids.
Even Zander has it memorized, “30 de noviembre a 1 de diciembre, Teleton, 2007, en cada pasa estas tu!” (“In every step, you are there”).
Tonight is the night, and the Teleton is 27 hours live on every TV channel in Chile. The goal is to raise $22 million, which is about $1.50/person in Chile. As if the US raised $450 million.
