YMCA-YWCA Greater Victoria’s Strong Kids Campaign receives $65,450 from TELUS
TELUS to give $1.1 million to Victoria community initiatives in 2012
Victoria, B.C. – Today, TELUS presented $65,450 to the YMCA-YWCA Greater Victoria at the annual TELUS Celebration of Giving at the Fairmont Empress. The funds were raised from TELUS’ most recent Phones for Good campaign to benefit the YMCA-YWCA.
For six months, TELUS contributed $25 on behalf of every new smartphone customer in Victoria in support of the YMCA-YWCA Strong Kids Campaign. This funding provides disadvantaged children and youth the opportunity to take part in Y programs and activities. The Y’s Strong Kids Campaign helps more than 400 local youth with diverse forms of assistance including subsidized registrations to Camp Thunderbird, Youth Outreach, and residential programs for vulnerable teens.
“This exciting contribution by TELUS for the children, youth and families in this community who need extra help has created a sustainable foundation for change in the lives of so many,” said Jennie Edgecombe, chief executive officer of the YMCA-YWCA of Greater Victoria. “With this wonderful support, TELUS has reinforced the important work of the Y to make our community stronger by helping youth to reach their potential through healthy living and social responsibility. The Y is dedicated to building better communities with healthy, confident, secure and connected children, youth and families, and we are honoured to receive these funds from TELUS for the Strong Kids Campaign.”
Additionally, many Victoria non-profit organizations were lauded at this morning’s event as TELUS and the TELUS Victoria Community Board celebrated its 2012 season of giving. TELUS, its team members and retirees expect to give more than $1.1 million to local community initiatives in Victoria this year, including $375,000 in funding for grassroots, youth-focused charities through the TELUS Victoria Community Board.
“Victoria’s culture of giving has never been more vibrant and today we celebrated that energetic spirit with our community partners,” said Mel Cooper, chair of the TELUS Victoria Community Board. “We are proud of the ongoing commitment of the TELUS Victoria Community Board in helping to create a better community for our youth, especially through organizations such as the YMCA-YWCA as they continue their vital work in our city.”
TELUS focuses its giving on empowering youth through education and technology to improve their quality of life and to give back to their communities. Since 2007, TELUS has invested $1.86 million to 163 grassroots, youth-oriented programs through the TELUS Victoria Community Board. TELUS partners with local organizations such as the Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island, Pacific Opera Victoria, and the David Foster Foundation. The TELUS Victoria Community Board has also supported organizations such as Breakfast for Learning, the Camosun College Foundation, CanAssist at the University of Victoria, Elizabeth Buckley School and the Victoria Epilepsy & Parkinson’s Centre.
Members of the TELUS Community Board include: Chair Mel Cooper, of Melco Management Ltd. and recipient of the Order of Canada and Order of British Columbia; youth representative Carlie Burkett – Odlum Brown Ltd.; Eric Charman – member of the Order of Canada and Order of British Columbia; Keith Dagg – Keith Dagg Consulting Inc.; Maria Dominelli – Invis; Maureen Duncan – former CEO of United Way of Greater Victoria; Rear Admiral Roger Girouard (Ret.) – Maritime Forces Pacific; Margot McLaren Moore – consultant and community volunteer; pharmacy owner Naz Rayani – member of the Order of Canada; Suromitra Sanatani – former strategic counsel with Heenan Blaikie; Roger Skillings – former CEO, Canadian Sport Centre Pacific; and current and former TELUS team members Marshall Berkin (vice-chair), Donna Davidson, Raymond Lawson, Rick Leggett, Linda McCutcheon, Gina Pecorelli, Carmen Salaberry and Stacey Larche.
For more information about the TELUS Victoria Community Board or to apply for funding, please visit telus.com/community.
About the TELUS Community Boards
TELUS Community Boards allocate funding for youth-focused charities based on an innovative model that delegates decision-making to local leaders who know their communities best. Eleven TELUS Community Boards are making a positive impact across Canada in Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Rimouski, Quebec City, Atlantic Canada and the Thompson Okanagan region of B.C. Since their inception in 2005, the Community Boards have contributed more than $30 million to grassroots charitable organizations and supported more than 2,300 community projects. Last year, the boards donated a total of $5.05 million in support of 418 projects in Canadian communities. Contributions made through our local Community Boards are made possible by our customers and our shareholders. The TELUS Community Boards and the meaningful difference they make significantly contributed to TELUS receiving the Association of Fundraising Professionals 2010 Freeman Philanthropic Services Award for the Most Outstanding Corporation globally.
About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $10.6 billion of annual revenue and 12.8 million customer connections including 7.4 million wireless subscribers, 3.5 million wireline network access lines, 1.3 million Internet subscribers and 595,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video.
In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $260 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 4.2 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Fourteen TELUS Community Boards lead TELUS’ local philanthropic initiatives. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition.
For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Shawn Hall
TELUS Media Relations
(604) 697-8176
shawn.hall@telus.com