Organizers of Costa Rica’s annual telethon hope to raise more than 600 million colones (about $1 million) to support the Dr. Raúl Blanco Cervantes Geriatric Hospital, the country’s only public hospital dedicated to elderly patients, located in San José.

According to the Active 20-30 Club, the nonprofit coordinating the event, the money will go toward equipment for the hospital’s functional rehabilitation unit. The area provides therapy for seniors recovering from surgery, falls, or extended hospital stays.

The organization said the upgraded equipment would expand the hospital’s capacity to offer more than 17,500 rehabilitation sessions annually and serve about 4,000 additional patients each year.

 

The fundraiser is being held at the Moreno Events Center in the Pavas Canton, San José, and is scheduled to conclude at midnight Saturday.

The free event features performances by more than 30 national and international artists who encourage viewers and attendees to donate. The telethon is being broadcast live on local channels 6, 7, 11, and 13.

Donations can be made in Costa Rican colones or U.S. dollars through the telethon’s official website.

Last year’s telethon raised roughly $1.2 million for the National Children’s Hospital. The funds covered the construction of the hospital's new ophthalmology floor with cutting-edge medical equipment, allowing children to receive early diagnoses and timely treatments for a wide range of eye conditions, from low vision to complex surgeries.

The Active 20-30 Club is an international nonprofit focused on supporting children and teenagers. It has more than 50 branches in the United States and Canada and about 60 affiliates across Latin America.

The first U.S. telethon was held in 1949 and raised $1.1 million for the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation in New York, U.S.