PEORIA, Ill. – It’s not going to be the best day weather-wise for a big finish, but that’s not going to stop thousands of runners from all over Illinois from converging on the Peoria Civic Center Saturday for the annual Saint Jude Telethon.
Runners from Peoria have been taking turns running from Memphis to Peoria, and there are satellite runs as well from other locales – all having raised money to help treat and beat childhood cancers.
“I’d love to beat last year. By how much? A dollar would be good enough for me,” said St. Jude Area Managing Director Bekah Abbott, to 25 News. “That just means that we hit our goal of raising exactly what we raised last year, and every dollar counts when it comes to St. Jude.”
$10 million was raised last year, with $168 million being raised since the first telethon 46 years ago.
25 News will be broadcasting the telethon for the 46th time, and producer Dave Lennie tells 25 News if you wait until telethon to call and make a donation to St. Jude, this year, calling should be easier.
“Now, they’ve (the phone operators) got two phones. So, you can call that one number that you see and get either person,” said Lennie. “I don’t know if it’s going to double our efforts, but that’s kind of the hope – to get more people calling in.”
You can watch in person at the Civic Center, or on 25 News starting at 6:30 p.m. Runners will start making their way downtown starting at around 2 p.m., so officials urge caution if driving in the area starting then.
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