TELUS donates $679,000 to Atlantic Canada Boys and Girls Clubs to Help KidsGo Further

Portion of TELUS mobile phone sales in Atlantic Canada goes directly to help youth in all four provinces

HALIFAX, Feb. 11 /CNW/ - TELUS today announced it is donating $679,000 to the 30 Boys and Girls Clubs in Atlantic Canada to further its commitment to helping at-risk youth across the Atlantic Canadian provinces.

The Help Kids Go Further campaign was originally launched in April 2009 by TELUS President and CEO Darren Entwistle in celebration of the launch of the TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board. Twenty-five dollars from the sale of every smartphone and mobile phone sold in Atlantic Canada would go to the local member agencies of Boys and Girls Clubs throughout Atlantic Canada.

"With this generous donation from TELUS, Boys and Girls Clubs in Atlantic Canada will be able to expand their reach to help more children and youth who are in need of quality after-school programs and community services," said Pam Jolliffe, President and CEO, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada (BGCC). "Boys and Girls Clubs across Canada are committed to helping every young person realize their potential, and with the support of great partners like TELUS we will continue to help them overcome barriers and experience new opportunities."

"The 'Help Kids Go Further' campaign was a fantastic opportunity to give where we live and support the ongoing commitment of TELUS investing in our youth in the Atlantic Canadian communities," said Gen. (Ret.) Rick Hillier, chair of the TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board. "TELUS and the TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board are thrilled this $679,000 donation will help the youth from the Boys and Girls Clubs in Atlantic Canada go further. It is this kind of heartfelt community support that has resulted in TELUS achieving international recognition from the Association of Fundraising Professionals as the most outstanding philanthropic corporation in the world and I'm proud to be a part of it."

Boys and Girls Clubs in Atlantic Canada offer children, from pre-school to young adulthood, a safe place to channel their energies into positive, challenging activities that encourage personal growth, learning, community involvement and healthy living. The Clubs provide services to young people and families in high-need communities where many children are considered to be 'at-risk'.

TELUS expects to contribute more than $1.1 million to Atlantic Canada communities this year, through various local community investment initiatives including $300,000 through the TELUS Atlantic Canada Community board.

The TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board is part of a national philanthropic program comprised of nine TELUS community boards across Canada. Since their inception in 2005, the TELUS Community Boards have allocated $21 million to local charities, supporting 1,546 community projects.

About Boys and Girls Clubs

Boys and Girls Clubs in Atlantic Canada are primary providers of quality after school programs that support the healthy physical, educational and social development of thousands of young people and their families each year. Clubs offer opportunities, after-school and at other times when children are not in school, to develop healthy behaviours, academic success and technology learning, positive relationships and life and leadership skills. Many Clubs also provide nutritious snacks and meals, emergency shelter, family support programs and other help to children, youth and families at risk. The Atlantic Clubs are member agencies of Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, a national movement of Clubs with 700 community locations, currently serving 200,000 children and youth. Boys and Girls Clubs have been helping young Canadians to discover, develop and achieve their potential, for over 100 years. To learn more, visit www.bgccan.com.

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $9.6 billion of annual revenue and 11.9 million customer connections including 6.4 million wireless subscribers, 4.1 million wireline network access lines and 1.2 million Internet subscribers and more than 100,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, entertainment and video. In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed $158 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered more than 3 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Nine TELUS Community Boards across Canada 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 ever to receive this prestigious international recognition. For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.

For further information: For media inquiries, please contact: Matthew Ross, Media Relations Specialist, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada - National Office, [phone], ext. 270, [email protected]; Wendy Johnston, Regional Director, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada - Maritime Region, [phone], [email protected]; Chris Gerritsen, TELUS Media Relations, [phone], [email protected]