Kids benefit from record breaking movie season
The recently wrapped up 2023-2024 Telethon Community Cinemas film season has been declared the "Greatest Season of all Time!" by Event Coordinator and founder, Ken Gibbons.
First published on Edith Cowan University
Mr Gibbons was proud to share the statistics for the season, its 23rd, which broke the previous attendance record by 30% with its three suburban venues all breaking their previous highs.
ECU Joondalup hosted 18,522 movie goers, which is an almost 35% increase on the previous year.
The season ended with a sell-out screening, and highest attended season session, of GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE. The most popular film overall was WONKA.
Telethon Community Cinemas' screenings are run entirely by over 500 volunteers and to date has raised (after this season) almost $12.5 million for Telethon7 and a wide variety of charities and community groups in WA.
"We have helped many organisations over the decades: the Kids' Cancer Support Group at PMH, Speak Easy WA, Camp Quality, Youth Focus, Rebound WA, Type 1 Diabetes, 12 Buckets, Edmund Rice Camps, Riding for the Disabled WA, Starlight Children's Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Wheelchairs for Kids, Heart Kids WA, Kids' Camps WA, Friends of Autism, the Perth Inner City Youth Service, Telethon and Variety WA along with a host of others."
"The motivation behind all of this," reflects Mr Gibbons, "is to improve the quality of life of children facing a health or physical ability crisis.
Mr Gibbons is a stutterer and understands the challenges in life associated with a health or physical disability.
"Anyone can make a difference. The important thing is recognising you can and doing something about it."
To quote that great showman, P.T. Barnum: "The noblest art is that of making others happy."
The Telethon Community Cinemas will re-open at ECU Joondalup in November 2024.