Telus Donates $1.3 Million in COVID-19 Aid to Over 100 Non-Profits Across Canada

Telus Community Boards have donated over $1.3 million to non-profits across Canada to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

This week, Telus has provided emergency COVID-19 funding to 101 organizations, totalling $1,310,000 in donations, with more committed beyond this amount. A total extra of $3,135,000 is being committed for these non-profits for the rest of 2020.

Below is a roundup of all the Telus Community Board donations by city/area across Canada:

Greater Toronto Area: $175,000 donated; Extra $525,000 committed for 2020

• The Leacock Foundation – technology and resources for economically-challenged families
• Up With Women – resilience and safety webinars and remote coaching
• Peel Children’s Aid – technology and resources for youth in care
• Arts Etobicoke – arts in isolation through technology
• Halton Industry Education Council – online career development program for students
• Inner City Outreach – coding program for inner city youth
• Junior Achievement Of Central Ontario – online business concepts and skills program
• Vibe Arts – virtual delivery of Art Beats, a free music technology program
• Best Buddies Of Canada – end bullying program for intellectual and developmental disabilities youth
• Covenant House Toronto – mental health and addiction services for youth
• Gilda’s Club Greater Toronto – Teen Doc Talk for survivors of cancer

Montreal: $130,000 donated; extra $470,000 committed for 2020

• The Lighthouse Children and Families – emergency Fund to provide pediatric palliative care through telemedicine
• The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada – emergency support for youth with blood cancer
• Maison des petits tournesols – online and virtual support services to grieving youth
• Fraser Hickson – virtual workshops and training for the “minibiblioPLUS” program
• Les Amis de la montagne – mental health and well -being program through nature outings
• L’Appart à moi – food safety and cooking workshops for young adults with intellectual disabilities
• School board of the Vallée-des-Tisserands – funding for bike desks for youth with ADHD
• Fondation du Centre de répit Saint-Louis – funding of a multisensory room
• Projet Équestre Goldie – ramp for disabled youth to access therapeutic horse riding sessions
• La Rencontre Théâtre-Ados – drama and film program for immigrant and newcomer youth

Quebec City: $135,000 donated; extra $265,000 committed for 2020

• CERVO Foundation – meal service for people affected by a neurological disease, mental illness or addiction.
• Family resources the old Montmorency barracks – program for distributing food and prepaid cards to help families affected by the pandemic during the COVID-19 crisis.
• Social Paediatrics Center of Lévis – mental health support program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Beauce School of Entrepreneurship – botanical program for young people.
• Village Monde Foundation – virtual exploration workshops and videos on the history of local communities.
• Productions Plateforme – guided tours of sound installations at the cutting edge of technology.
• Le Lemplis Springboard – program of educational workshops for young people.
• Les Violons du Roy – workshops dedicated to young people at risk so that they can learn to play an instrument.
• Association YWCA de Québec – music camp for young girls of non-conforming gender.
• Le Coeur à lire – literacy and healthy lifestyle program for young people.
• Sustainable transport access – technology communication program for young people.
• Renaissance Association of Head Traumatized People of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean – workshops for young people who have suffered brain injuries.
• White Cross Social Center – activities for homeless young people and those living with addiction.
• The Dr Clown Foundation – extension of the Dr Clown program for hospitalized pediatric patients.
• Fondation Santé Beauce-Etchemin – opening of a room adapted for young people suffering from delays in physical development.
• Fondation Sourdine – educational program adapted for hearing-impaired children.
• Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Lac-Saint-Jean Nord – mentoring program for young girls.
• La Rencontre – youth program related to stress and anxiety management.
• Solidarité Sainte-Ursule – gardening workshops for vulnerable young people.

Thompson Okanagan (B.C.): $100,000 donated; extra $115,000 committed for 2020

• Aquaforum – to support an online science and technology education program
• Auxiliary to the Penticton Hospital Society – to support a food security  program
• Big Little Science Centre – to support online coding, robotics and film making
• Boys and Girls Club of Kamloops – to support virtual homework assistance and food security
• Central Okanagan Elizabeth Fry Society – to support leadership and healthy relationships programs for boys
• Elephant Thoughts Educational Outreach – to support a virtual Indigenous science program
• Kamloops – Cariboo Regional Immigrants Society – to support a program for newcomer youth to help with community integration
• Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs – to support a food security and support program for marginalized youth
• Vernon Science and Discovery Society – to support a virtual space experience program

Victoria (B.C.): $115,000 donated; extra $215,000 committed for 2020

• Frontier College Indigenous Programs – to support Indigenous health and education programs for the Pacheedaht and T’Sou-ke First Nations
• Greater Victoria Volunteer Society – to support a virtual volunteer program for youth with disabilities
• Growing Chefs Society – to support food security and literacy programs
• Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary – to support COVID-19 outreach program
• The Garth Homer Society – to support an employment program for students with learning and/or developmental disabilities
• The Verna J Kirkness Education Foundation – to support the Science and Engineering Education Program
• Victoria Compost and Conversation Education Society – to support online school programming
• Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society – to support the COVID-19 Technology and Food Security program
• YMCA-YWCA of Vancouver Island – to support the Young Moms and Youth Apartment Supported Housing throughout the pandemic

Vancouver: $200,000 donated; extra $600,000 committed for 2020

• Abbotsford Hospice Society – to support a children and youth grief program
• African Stages Association – to support the African Stages Digital Literacy Project
• Aunt Leah’s Place – to support virtual crisis counselling for marginalized youth
• Avalon Women’s Centres –  to provide virtual counselling and support to women living with domestic abuse and violence
• Atira Women’s Resource Centre – to provide virtual counselling and support to women living with domestic abuse and violence
• BeaYOUtiful Foundation – to support the development of a virtual program
• Dan’s Legacy Foundation – to support indigenous youth counselling services
• District of West Vancouver – to support the emergency crisis response
• Hollyburn Family Services Society – to keep the facilities operational
• Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS) – to create a virtual youth community placement program
• Southlands Therapeutic Riding Society – for the creation of an emergency facility fund
• Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports – to create a digital tutoring program
• Vancouver Urban Ministries  – to provide iPads to low-income families to enable distance learning
• Young Entrepreneur Leadership Launchpad (YELL) – to support the creation of a virtual school program

Ottawa: $150,000 donated; extra $250,000 committed for 2020

• Lotus Centre For Special Music Education – support for virtual adapted summer music camp
• The Salvation Army Ottawa Bethany Hope Centre – emergency supplies for at-risk youth and new virtual outreach
• University Of Ottawa – new virtual delivery of robotics and VR workshops for at-risk youth
• Ten Oaks Project – creation of stay-at-home weekday family online camp program
• CHEO – Canadian-made robotic gait walker that helps children with severe physical impairments the opportunity to experience walking
• Education Foundation of Niagara – Computers4Change tech provided to youth for home-based learning
• Oneness – World Communications – giving voice to children and youth
• Ottawa Riverkeeper – online youth Water Leaders Program

Last Friday, Telus announced its community boards in Edmonton and Calgary also made donations to non-profits for COVID-19 relief.

Edmonton: $165,000 donated; extra $335,000 committed for 2020

• Boys & Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton & Area Society – food security and supports for vulnerable youth
• Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers – youth and family services accessibility programming
• Gordon Russell’s Crystal Kids Youth Centre – food and services support for at-risk youth
• YMCA of Northern Alberta – providing virtual education outreach supports for at-risk youth
• Basically Babies – layette outreach program for vulnerable mothers
• The Arthritis Society – virtual program supports delivery for youth
• Arts on the Ave Edmonton Society – food security assistance for Indigenous and newcomer families
• Edmonton Space Sciences Foundation – online science programming
• Getting Ready for Inclusion Today (The GRIT Program) Society of Edmonton – specialized services support for youth with complex disabilities
• The Good Samaritan Society – specialized therapy delivery for isolated severely disabled youth
• Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Northern Alberta – emergency needs relief fund
• Sport Central Association – virtual application outreach to low income families

Calgary: $140,000 donated; extra $360,000 committed for 2020

• Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary – food security program and assistance to at risk youth
• Calgary Distress Centre – provides 24/7 support for distressed Calgarians;including youth
• Calgary Drop-In Centre – overnight shelter to safely house 3,000 homeless adults
• Calgary Food Bank – deploying a drive-thru food process to align with safety guidelines
• Children’s Cottage Society – a crisis nursery for at-risk families in distress
• CUPS – provides free healthcare for 8,400 vulnerable citizens at inner-city medical clinic
• Inn from the Cold – Calgary’s only family homeless shelter, billeting families through crisis
• Native Counselling Services Alberta – offers local, no-cost services for Indigenous peoples
• The Kerby Centre – a grocery delivery and prescription refill program for isolated seniors

Yesterday, Telus announced it was donating over 10,000 free mobile devices with free plans to help isolated seniors, hospitalized COVID-19 patients and vulnerable Canadians stay connected during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company’s CEO has also donated three months of his salary to healthcare workers fighting COVID-19.