TELUS and Canadian Football League make 8,000 fans a part of football history

Induction of The Fan Cup presented by TELUS into Canadian Football Hall of Fame is celebrated with a TELUS donation of $50,000 to KidSport Canada

TORONTO, Feb. 5, 2013 /CNW/ - TELUS and the Canadian Football League (CFL) today announced the induction of The Fan Cup presented by TELUS into The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF). The occasion marks the final celebrations surrounding the 100^th Grey Cup.

Since September 2012, 8,000 CFL fans participated in a cross-country tour where they had the opportunity to press a unique Grey Cup commemorative penny using the TELUS custom Penny Press Machine. A part of each penny was collected and melted to create The Fan Cup presented by TELUS. The names of every fan who pressed a penny were collected and engraved on the trophy.

The official induction ceremony will take place at the CFHOF in Hamilton, Ontario on Friday, February 8, 2013 at 10 a.m. ET. The event will give fans an exciting opportunity to see this first ever pro sports trophy up close and shake hands with special guests including CFL alumni and current Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Marwan Hage and Peter Dyakowski; hall of famer Less Browne; and four-time Grey Cup champion and hall of famer Damon Allen. For those not able to attend the induction ceremony, the CFHOF will waive admission on Saturday, February 9, 2013 for a chance to see The Fan Cup presented by TELUS in person.

"We are very pleased that TELUS gave football fans of Canada an opportunity to be a part of the rich history found in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum," said Mark DeNobile, executive director and chief operating officer, Canadian Football Hall of Fame. "We look forward to meeting the same fans who engraved their names onto the trophy and hearing their memories of Canadian football."

For each penny that was pressed on the tour or virtually via telus.com/fancup, TELUS contributed $1 to KidSport Canada - a national not-for-profit organization that provides funding to help children in need across Canada play organized sports. An extra dollar was given on behalf of every fan who shared their experience on Twitter or Facebook, bringing the grand total raised to $50,000. Since 2000, TELUS has given more than $200,000 to KidSport Canada.

"The Fan Cup presented by TELUS is our way of symbolizing the unwavering passion and dedication we have for our customers," said Anne-Marie LaBerge, vice-president Consumer Marketing Communications, TELUS. "And as part of our 'we give where we live' philosophy at TELUS, we believe that no kid should be left on the sidelines without the opportunity to experience the positive benefits of organized sports. Today is about continuing our ongoing support of KidSport with a donation of $50,000."

"We are thrilled to have been selected by TELUS as the recipient charity for The Fan Cup campaign," said Dawn MacDonald, executive director, KidSport Ontario. "Through the support of TELUS and all the Canadian Football League fans, we are that much closer to realizing our vision of creating sports-related opportunities for all under-resourced kids."

About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $10.8 billion of annual revenue and 13.0 million customer connections including 7.6 million wireless subscribers, 3.4 million wireline network access lines, 1.3 million Internet subscribers and more than 635,000 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.

About the Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League is OUR league. It's built on a tradition as proud, staged on a field as broad, and played at a pace as exciting as the country we are proud to call home. Our championship game, the Grey Cup, is the biggest single annual sporting event in Canada. The 101st edition will be played on November 24, 2013 in Regina, Saskatchewan.

About the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum
There are currently 258 members enshrined in the Hall's Zone of Champions, which features busts of each member of the Hall. The Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum operates as a non-profit registered charity. Located in Hamilton, Ontario since 1963, and in its current location next to Hamilton City Hall since 1972, the Hall is home to more than 50,000 Canadian football artefacts, ranging from equipment and trophies to photos and videos. It's open to the public year round; see our website for further information www.cfhof.ca.

About the KidSport™ Canada
KidSport™ Canada is a national not-for-profit organization that provides financial assistance for registration fees and equipment to kids aged 18 and under. Through a confidential application process we provide grants so they can play a season of sport. One of our primary goals is to support our network of 11 provincial/territorial KidSport chapters and 177 community KidSport chapters across Canada in their fundraising and sport activities.

SOURCE: TELUS Corporation

For media inquiries, please contact: 
Emma Miller
TELUS Social and Media Relations
647-464-6817
[email protected] 

Shannon Ballard
Director of Marketing
416-322-5659
[email protected]