Telethon 2021: date, sponsor, how to make a donation?

[Mise à jour le 12 novembre 2021 à 16h48] The 35th edition of the Telethon will take place on December 3 and 4, 2021. Since its first edition in 1987, the Telethon is a charity event that gives the AFM-Téléthon association (the French Association against Myopathies) the means to continue its fight against genetic diseases. “Genetic diseases were destroying the lives of our children and our families. To fight them, we had nothing: neither means nor treatment. There was no question of resigning ourselves and we created the Telethon. We wanted to bring to life research that did not exist. We wanted to revolutionize medicine. Year after year, thanks to your loyal support, we have succeeded “ explains Laurence Tiennot-Herment, president of the AFM-Telethon on the event site. Several events are planned as every year and in particular a race at the Stade de France on December 4: the LoveRun.

Since its first edition in 1987, the Telethon is a charity event that gives the AFM-Téléthon association (the French Association against Myopathies) the means to continue its fight against genetic diseases. Each year during the first weekend of December, this exceptional mobilization brings together 5 million French people, 250,000 volunteers and 70 national partners, including overseas. This outburst of solidarity allows each of us, through donations and collections, to help research, to unite around patients and to show them our support.

The donation line: 36 37

This year, the French Association against Myopathy (AFM) has mobilized around the theme The strength to heal, resonating with the strength of families who fight daily against the disease, but also researchers, volunteers, doctors, donors and Telethon partners. The donations collected during the Telethon will be used in particular for research on gene therapy. an innovative treatment which makes it possible, thanks to a single injection of a “gene-drug”, to stop the natural evolution of rare diseases of the blood, muscle, skin, brain, vision, liver (myopathy myotubular, spinal amyotrophy, Fanconi anemia …). To accelerate the development of treatments for rare diseases, AFM-Téléthon has created its own laboratories:

• Genethon : one of the world leaders in gene therapy for rare diseases, from research to clinical development.
• I-Stem : the largest French research laboratory on stem cells and cell therapy for monogenic diseases.
• Institute of Myology : the European reference center where research, evaluation and medical consultations are carried out on muscle and its diseases.

In 2021, the Telethon will take place on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 December. During this weekend, 30 hours of programming are broadcast on France Télévisions channels in order to raise funds.

In 2021 it is the singer Soprano who will be the sponsor of the Telethon. On December 3 and 4, the singer-songwriter will be alongside patients, families, researchers and thousands of volunteers throughout France, to support the fight against rare diseases carried by the AFM-Telethon. For the 2020 edition, the sponsor of the Telethon was the singer and dancer Matt Pokora. He succeeded many personalities: Jean-Paul Rouve in 2019, Zazie, Garou, Patrick Bruel, Franck Dubosc, Gad Elmaleh, Anne Roumanoff, Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Jugnot, Thierry Lhermitte, Yannick Noah, Pierre Perret, Alain Delon .. .

It was in 2006 that the counter reached its highest level, with 106,696,532 euros.

Each year, the Telethon program brings together the sponsor of the event, artists, France Télévisions presenters, researchers and doctors who take stock of advances in research, but also families of patients who testify to their day-to-day. She is broadcast on France Télévisions from Friday evening to Saturday night, live. The idea came from the United States, where a charity television marathon had existed since 1966. In France, two dads whose sons suffered from Duchenne muscular dystrophy had the idea of ​​adapting this American concept and managed to convince France 2 ( Antenna 2 at the time) in 1987, year in which the first French Telethon on television.

Unlike the 100% digital Telethon 2020, the 2021 edition can also take place in real life. Among the events announced this year:

THE LIGHT CITIES 2021: 8 cities in France will light up their initials to form the word TELETHON

TELETHON GAMING: For its fourth edition, the Telethon Gaming is launching the general public mobilization of the Telethon with a 30h Livestream: November 5 and 6, 2021.

THE TELETHON CHALLENGE : 50 youtubers, artists, content creators are mobilizing to achieve digital challenges. And on December 4, 2021, the digital program will bring together all the digital mobilizations for the Telethon through a unique concept! Discover the Telethon Challenge 2021.

THE GREAT TOMBOLA OF TELETHON : The Big Tombola of the Telethon, organized with France Télévisions and Stars Solidaires, is back for a second edition with more and more exceptional prizes!

• List of events on the Telethon website.

To make a donation, three possibilities:

• By telephone at 3637 (free service + price of a call) from Friday December 6 at 8 a.m.
• On the Internet on the Telethon 2021 website
• By mail : AFM Téléthon – BP 83637-16954 Angoulême Cedex 9.

Note that you can deduct from your taxes 66% of the amount of your donation (within the limit of 20% of taxable income). For example, if you donate 100 euros, you will only pay 34 euros after the 66% tax reduction.

• 1986: Inspired by an American concept invented in 1966 by actor Jerry Lewis, the Telethon was created in France by Bernard Barataud (President of the AFM) and Pierre Birambeau (director of development), two fathers whose sons are affected by myopathy.
• December 4, 1987, the first Telethon is broadcast on Antenne 2 live from the Radio France studios. For 28 hours, Michel Drucker, Claude Sérillon, Gérard Holtz and Jacques Chancel take turns on the air with the godfather Jerry Lewis. The collection of donations reaches more than 175 million francs.
• Since this first edition, the Telethon enables associations, sports federations and businesses to mobilize by organizing cultural and sports events in towns and villages in France.
• In more than 30 years of Telethon, many fights have been won: the publication of maps of the human genome used by researchers around the world, the development of innovative therapies (gene, cell, pharmacogenetic therapy), the first results of gene therapy for diseases of the immune system (bubble babies), the improvement of the quality and life expectancy of patients thanks to appropriate medical care and support …
• Thanks to donations collected during the 2019 edition, a gene therapy drug integrating a technology resulting from research carried out at Généthon was available for very young patients suffering from the most severe form of spinal muscular atrophy. This treatment incorporates technologies resulting from his research, and has obtained marketing authorization in the United States for spinal muscular atrophy. An authorization also obtained in 2020 in Europe and Japan.

The 2020 edition allowed to harvest 77,298,024 euros, which is less than in 2019 (87 million). This edition was marked by the health crisis and was organized in full confinement. “Usually, there are 12,000 municipalities participating in the Telethon, or one in three, 250,000 volunteers and 5 million French people. The vast majority of these animations are prevented today“, lamented Laurence Tiennot-Herment, President of the AFM-Telethon organization. It was in 2006 that the counter reached its highest level, with 106,696,532 euros. That year, the sponsors were Gérard Jugnot and Thierry Lhermitte.