A virtual telethon hosted by local business leaders Saturday raised $12,170 for Columbia's downtown businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event had 3,300 views during the eight hours of entertainment and discussion that was livestreamed via Facebook, Youtube and Twitch. Volunteers sold 389 gift cards from downtown shops and restaurants to 110 participants. Thirty businesses participated in the telethon, including Shakespeare’s Pizza, Lakota Coffee, Yellow Dog Bookshop, La Siesta Mexican Cuisine and others.
The event was organized by Better Nonprofits/Armchair Telethon. Sean Spence, the telethon's coordinator, spoke to the importance of helping businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is a small thing, but the bottom line is that we all need to do whatever we can to help the businesses we love, as they make their way through the challenges of COVID-19,” said Spence in a news release. “We had room for 30 businesses, so we helped as many as we could, knowing that the focus on downtown and on the need to help would be a way to support everybody.”
The telethon is still taking donations to benefit businesses in downtown Columbia. Those interested in donating can do so on the organization's website.