Countdown on to 41st IWK Telethon for Children

CTV News

6 days ago

The studio where the 41st IWK Telethon will be shot is pictured before the big show.
People have been hard at work preparing for the 41st IWK Telethon for Children.
'There's a lot of late nights, a lot of early mornings, some frustrations, but at the end of the day, the feeling you get when the show wraps and we know we've done the best we could to raise money for the IWK… Wow!' said CTV Atlantic's Liz Rigney, who produces the IWK Telethon. She said it will be a weekend full of fundraising, with no shortage of entertainment.
'This year, we have a lot of really interesting content. On Saturday night, we have a tribute show, which is basically a variety show, from 7 to 9:30 p.m., and a lot of wonderful local Maritime talent,' she said.
The show will feature music from Heather Rankin, JRDN, DeeDee Austin, Cassie and Maggie, Irish Mythen, as well as Rankin MacInnis and the Broken Reeds.
The IWK Telethon then takes place Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is the IWK Foundation's largest fundraiser of the year.
'We hear back from families all the time who have benefitted from the IWK and, specifically, the telethon throughout the years,' said Melanie Matheson, IWK Foundation Director of Development. She said the telethon is made possible through the hard work of many people who keep coming back year after year.
'I think over the weekend we'll have almost 400 volunteers that will be involved through the phone banks and various other pieces of need over the weekend, and they really are kind of the heart and soul of what we do,' said Matheson.
'We have a lot of patients that then come and volunteer as they get older or they'll attend the tribute show on Saturday night, and so it really is a family and a community that just continues to benefit from the telethon.'
Funds raised go to the most urgent needs at the IWK Health Centre, which is the region's biggest children's hospital.
Matheson said one piece of equipment in high demand is the CADD (continuous ambulatory delivery device) pump.
'It's something that allows children to receive care at home, so they can take this piece of equipment home with them in their community, go to school and have this pump on them so they can continue to receive their medication,' he said.
Last year, the telethon raised more than $7.5 million.
'We really want to just show our gratitude that every dollar counts,' Matheson said. 'No matter how big, no matter how small, it all adds up to this this incredible support for the IWK.'
The Telethon Tribute and the IWK Telethon for Children will air on CTV Atlantic. Both shows will also be available on the CTV Atlantic website and the CTV app.