Local News

It is being billed as the million dollar event of the year.  An all day telethon on Saturday, designed to raise funds to construct am Inspiration Center, a rehabilitation facility to benefit children with special needs. The centre will be built at mile one and a half on the Western Highway. Kendra Griffith is the program coordinator in the office of the Special Envoy for Women and Children.

KENDRA GRIFFITH, Program Coordinator

“And really what we are looking to do is to raise a million dollars to go towards the construction of the Inspiration Center which is a rehabilitation center for children with special needs.  The center will offer various therapies for children with special needs, basic medical care; it will act as a community center for our children in the surrounding communities, offering after school classes, a computer lab inclusive playground.  It’s a big and wonderful project that Mrs. Barrow along with Care Belize is trying to see established.  Now that center, the approximate cost is three million dollars and we’re hoping that on Saturday at this Telethon that we will be able to raise at least a million dollars of that amount so we can break ground later this year”

Griffith says the unique fund raising event will have the participation of a star-studded group of performers.

KENDRA GRIFFITH, Program Coordinator

 “It will be a huge event because we have entertainers that will be coming in all day long.  We have Belizean entertainers, we have bands, we have dancers, we have singers.  You name a type of entertainment and we will have it, even Ozzy the clown is going to be there for the children.  So it will take place from the Bliss Center for Performing Arts but it will also be simulcast on television and on radio and streamed on the internet lovetv.com.bz.  So it’s just a day full of entertainment, we will be having our major sponsors, they will be given the opportunity to appear in person at the Telethon and to make their donation public.  We’ve sent out letters to quite a few businesses, a lot of businesses and we have been getting good responses.  So they will be going on the show and presenting their cheques to Mrs. Barrow in person and showing their support for the project.  We have guests MCs that will be coming in all day long.  We have celebrity phone operator that’ll be there as well so you can call the hotline and you may get to speak to the Prime Minister if anything or Mrs. Barrow herself might be taking your calls and so really it just – we will have a boot there as well.  People can come drop off their donations in person, the can buy our promotional items, they can come to the Bliss sit down and watch the show as well.”

Apart from local contributions, Griffith says persons from outside of Belize can also take part in the inspiration telethon.

KENDRA GRIFFITH, Program Coordinator

 “Persons from abroad they have also been targeted, you know.  We are reaching out to them because they do have ties back home and a lot of them do try to help out and want to see the country develop as well.  So we’ve sent out letters to all our Embassies and Consulates and the Belize Diaspora Network as well so they are aware of it.  They will also be able to access our Telethon by dialing 227-WISH and the operators will answer as well.  They will be able to donate through our website by cheques or by wire transfer.  So they are a big part of this, they’re all over the world and we hoping that they themselves will tune in on the internet and also support the Inspiration Center.”  

The telethon is set to kick off at eight o’clock on Saturday morning and continuing through to six o’clock in the evening.

KENDRA GRIFFITH, Program Coordinator

 “And like I said it will be simulcast on Love FM, on Love TV, Channel 7, Channel 5, Belizean to the Bone, Plus TV, KREM TV, Wave TV, Wave Radio.  Really it’s tremendous the support that we have received from the media houses because it will – I don’t think you’ll be able to escape the Telethon on Saturday which is what we’re looking for.  We will also have boots set up country wide.  We have nine boots that will be across the country where persons can go in person, they can drop off their donation, promotional supplies will be there to sell as well, they can find out a bit more information about the Inspiration Center, the other means to donate and they can call the hotline the hotline our hotline number is 0800-INSPIRE and both SMART and BTL customers can access that hotline through that number.  SMART customers can be able to donate by text.  People will be able to bill pledges to their utilities BTL and BWS, pay by credit card, over the phone, come in person at the Bliss, there are just myriad of ways for which persons can donate and we’ve tried to make it as easy as possible, hassle free for them to be able to do so and show their support for the center and I really should mention as well we will be having guest persons with disabilities as well who are within the society and are doing good thing and they’re really contributing because we want to showcase it is an educational experience as well for Belizeans to know what is happening with person with disabilities in Belize and what needs to get better and they will be able to learn all about the center.  So we are really banking on the tremendous support of Belizeans and we honestly believe we can raise that million dollars and have our ground breaking for this center in the next couple months.”     

The Inspiration Telethon is being sponsored by Belize Telemedia Limited, NICH, SMART, McNab Designs, Love FM, Love Television, Government Press Office and Belize Water Services.