€20.1 Million For Underserved Children Around The World
It is the longest charity program on German television – and an annual sign of great solidarity with the most vulnerable members of society: This year, the 28th “RTL Spendenmarathon” telethon raised more than €20.1 million. The money goes to underserved children in Germany and all around the world.
Despite global crises and wars, the viewers and partners of this year’s “RTL Spendenmarathon” have shown great solidarity and cohesion: the latest tally shows that a total of €20,133,760 was raised between 6 p.m. on Thursday to 6 p.m. on Friday during the 28th edition of the longest charity program on German TV. “Especially in these times, I would like to thank every donor who supported the ‘RTL Spendenmarathon’,” says Thomas Rabe, CEO of the “Stiftung RTL – Wir helfen Kindern” foundation. “More and more families in Germany are struggling with great worries and hardship. It is not a matter of course to support others. Solidarity and social responsibility are an integral part of RTL’s corporate culture. We make sure that every euro donated reaches the children in need – without a single cent being deducted. Now we can provide effective help to so many children in Germany and around the world.”
“It was an ‘RTL telethon’ of many goosebump moments,” explains presenter Wolfram Kons after more than 24 hours on air. “Together we are strong – we have shown this over the last 24 hours together with our viewers and partners. This donation result makes me very happy,” says Kons. “I say thank you from the bottom of my heart and promise that we will show exactly where every euro donated goes throughout the year.” Experience has shown that the amount donated will increase in the coming days due to outstanding pledges.”
World record for Joey Kelly and his company teams
As part of his “24h American Football Challenge”, Joel Kelly – a musician, entrepreneur, and endurance athlete who has regularly participated in the telethon since 2003 – set a new world record. Together with 17 company teams, he covered 4,454 kilometers on the football parkours, significantly more than the 4,000 kilometers to break the existing record. After 24 hours, Kelly and the teams were able to secure the world record for “the longest relay running distance in a football parkours (24 hours, team)” – certified by Germany’s Records Institute.
