No prizes, but plenty of generosity

Without a single prize, the annual fund-raising marathon L-Istrina had raised a sum of €2.06 million by 11 p.m. yesterday, proving the generosity of the Maltese was still alive despite a year of recession and looming hefty utility bills.

The presenters kept urging televiewers to keep donating till the very end in a bid to break the €2.3 million jackpot reached in 2003.

This was the first time in years that prizes were not handed out to callers, following the controversies that raged in the past where the organisers were criticised for putting too much emphasis on gifts.

The show kicked off with appeals from President George Abela, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat, for the Maltese to show their true colours and give from their hearts, without expecting anything in return.

Greeting the volunteers with a smile and plenty of enthusiasm, Dr Abela looked in fit form after collapsing during his friend's funeral and hospitalised for two nights last week.

An emphasis on revealing the "true values" of the Maltese seemed to have struck a chord with people who were donating some €200,000 every hour for the Malta Community Chest Fund.

By 7 p.m. almost €1.2 million had already been donated, reaching the figure raised the previous year, even though there were five hours left.

Dr Abela, who has already gained a reputation as a unifying figure, managed to bring on board television personalities from all stations and political allegiances, creating an atmosphere of team spirit all round.

The event was held in the massive hangar of Lufthansa Technik, which was inaugurated on the same day that Dr Abela took his Presidential oath.

Although less intimate than in previous years, the massive venue proved to be a grand setting with plenty of space for games and entertainment.

The President's charity run, held three weeks ago, had already raised €54,000 - a figure doubled by the sponsors of the event, Banif Bank. Dr Abela said the run, which attracted a record crowd, would become an annual event.

Meanwhile, Bank of Valletta increased the figure of €45,000 raised by children through the piggy bank school campaign to a total of €75,000, and HSBC Bank donated €30,000.

A novel feature in the annual charity event was a competition between the different villages - having them ranked throughout the day, depending on how many calls were received from each locality.

Dr Abela rode on a helicopter to Gozo at 6.30 p.m. where a live show was also being organised.

Businesses also seemed to donate more this year, perhaps due to the fact they did not also have to donate in kind for the prizes usually used as an incentive to boost generosity.

Last year, there was some controversy over the fact that entertainment was cancelled to make way for airtime for prize-giving since people were only calling when prizes were being given out, prompting former volunteers to criticise the materialistic nature of the programme.

This was the 14th edition of the show, which has collected more than €15 million along the years for the Malta Community Chest Fund.

It was also the first year that the charity itself, headed by the President and his wife Margaret, took a more active role in its organisation.

L-Istrina money collected over the years:

2003: €2.3 million
2004: €1.9 million
2005: €1.6 million*
2006: €1.2 million
2007: €1.4 million
2008: €1.2 million
* Does not include €1.4 million from a car auction.