Do you give where you live? TELUS asked and we responded

Question: 'Do YOU give where you live?

Recently myself and our two little girls had the honor of joining the 13,000 TELUS volunteers from across Canada for the 8th annual TELUS Day of Giving. The thousands of volunteers consisting of TELUS team members, retirees, their friends and family members came together at various activities throughout their local communities to lend a hand and make a meaningful difference. Of the over 500 activities nationwide; some included children's hospitals, sorting food bank donations, and feeding the homeless.

Little C, Little B and I spent the day assisting the amazing Canuck Place Children's Hospice crew with pulling weeds, cleaning the storage sheds and playhouse, and hosing down the walkways! We left the painting and green thumb work to the other volunteers who also worked diligently for the 4 hour shift!

The girls had loads of fun contributing where they were capable, as well as playing on the swings, meeting new people and of course the cookies provided from the house chef.

Though it was a drizzly day in Vancouver, we came ready and remained hopeful for sunshine!

[caption id="attachment_9885" align="alignleft" width="280"] Telus Day of Giving: Let the sun shine down[/caption]

We were greeted by the friendly TELUS team, along with a couple extremely appreciative Canuck Place helpers.

During our time spent on the Canuck Place grounds, a couple families crossed our path. They were very friendly, acknowledging our efforts and thanking us for our hard work. I couldn't imagine the emotions, the financial or relationship strain and all else they must deal with. It is a blessing some are fortunate enough to receive assistance offered thru the Canuck Place program and I hope the continued efforts of the supporters, such as TELUS, only increases because the needs of services provided by Canuck Place are in higher demand than ever.

Thank you to TELUS for inviting our family to share in the TELUS Day of Giving! We are honored to a part of the over $300 million and 4.8 million hours of service to local charities and non-profit organizations across Canada since 2000. IMPRESSIVE giving and without a doubt, greatly appreciated!

We continue to be inspired to search for ways to #GiveWhereWeLive year round and look forward to next year's extra special day already!

So, I ask you... 'Do YOU volunteer freely, without expectation of anything in return?'

[toggle title="What we learned about Canuck Place"]

'Canuck Place opened its doors in 1995 as the first free standing children’s hospice in North America. Today it is recognized as a leader in pediatric palliative care sharing knowledge, expertise and research regionally, nationally and internationally to assist in the further development of best practices in this field.

Canuck Place provides a comprehensive continuum of care to over 400 children and teens with life- threatening illnesses and their families throughout British Columbia. The unique program offers world-class pediatric palliative care within a home-like environment and year-round 24-hour consultation support. With caring, professional staff and over 350 volunteers, it is a place for children and families to come in their time of need.

Canuck Place relies on the generosity of individuals, corporations, and various organizations to raise approximately 80% of its operating funds, with the remaining 20% funded by the provincial government. Over 80 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to patient care which is available to families at no cost.'

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[toggle title="More about Telus: We Give Where We Live"]

“Since its inception in 2006, TELUS Day of Giving has mobilized more than 65,465 TELUS team members, retirees, family and friends to volunteer at 1,650 activities benefiting the communities where we live, work and serve,” continued Mr. Entwistle. “That adds up to 192,545 hours of painting, gardening, planting trees, landscaping, cooking, serving lunch, sorting cans of food, sewing and much more for citizens in need of a helping hand.”

We Give Where We Live

TELUS, its team members and retirees have contributed more than $300 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 4.8 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. In 2012 alone, TELUS contributed over $44 million to charities and non-profit organizations across Canada, equaling almost 2.5% of our pre-tax profit.

TELUS’ heartfelt efforts in this regard focus on educating and empowering youth to improve their quality of life and to enable them to reach their full potential.

• Since their inception in 2005, the eleven TELUS Community Boards across Canada have contributed more than $35 million to grassroots charitable organizations and supported more than 2,800 grassroots projects across Canada that have positively impacted more than 2 million youth across our country.


• Through our TV for Good and Phones for Good campaigns, TELUS donates to local grassroots community projects for every new TELUS TV and/or smartphone customer in specific communities. Since 2009, TELUS has contributed more than $9.5 million to 64 local community projects through our Phones for Good and TV for Good campaigns.


• Through our Team TELUS Charitable Giving program, TELUS matches team member and retiree donations made to Canadian registered charities, dollar for dollar. In 2012 alone, the TELUS team donated $6.8 million through this program. Since 2000, this annual workplace campaign has provided TELUS and our team members with an opportunity to contribute more that $63 million to charitable organizations in Canada.

The TELUS Community Ambassadors program provides a vehicle for retiree and team member volunteerism. The program maintains the tradition of community giving that has been part of the telecommunications industry for more than 100 years. In 2012 alone, our Community Ambassadors assembled and distributed nearly 12,000 Comfort Kits for homeless people and displaced families, nearly 10,000 backpacks filled with school supplies for students in need, and 3,000 heart pillows to comfort patients who have undergone open heart surgery.

To learn more about TELUS’ commitment to the community, please visit telus.com/community.

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