The Honourable Myra A. Freeman joins the TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board

TELUS commits $500,000 in 2012 to support youth in Atlantic Canada

HALIFAX, March 29, 2012 /CNW/ - TELUS today announced the appointment of The Honourable Myra A. Freeman to the TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board.

"On behalf of our board members, I am honoured to welcome Myra to the TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board. Her outstanding depth of knowledge and tireless community involvement will bring new insight to the decisions we make in supporting grassroots organizations," said General (Ret.) Rick Hillier, chair of the Board. "As former Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Nova Scotia, Myra has shown incredible commitment to the growth and success of our communities and we welcome the strength and wisdom she will bring to our board."

The TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board is comprised of community leaders and TELUS team members who come together to make local funding decisions in areas that positively impact the future of youth in the local community. The Board expects to donate $500,000 to local charities this year.

"The TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board makes such a meaningful and positive impact throughout the Maritimes, and I'm honoured to be a part of it," said Mrs. Freeman. "I'm looking forward to working with this impressive group of people in support of youth initiatives and participating in my first board meeting this spring."

TELUS funding focuses on educating and empowering youth to improve their quality of life and to enable them to reach their full potential. Since its launch in March 2009, The TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board has given more than $1.1 million in support of more than 65 community projects in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland/Labrador, New Brunswick and P.E.I. Some of the funding recipients include Mic Mac Aquatic Club, Feed Nova Scotia and the Learning Disabilities Association. Local organizations are invited to apply for up to $20,000 in one-time funding for innovative youth projects in the areas of arts and culture, education and sports and health and well-being in our environment.

Along with The Honourable Myra Freeman and General (Ret.) Rick Hillier, seven other community leaders sit on the TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board, including vice-chair Ken Power, TELUS; Fred MacGillivray, retired president & CEO, Trade Centre Limited; Former NHL star Danny Grant; Daniel Allain, president & CEO, Alcool NB Liquor; Joe Browne, former Chief, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary; Quentin Bevan, owner, Bevan Brothers Limited, Olympia Electric and Weymouth Properties; and Linda Weaver, TELUS.

In addition to serving Queen Elizabeth II for six years as the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, The Hon. Myra Freeman, CD, ONS, has a reputable and inspiring history of accomplishments and achievements which exemplify her leadership role in the community. Mrs. Freeman is a member of the Order of Canada, a recipient of the Order of Nova Scotia and the first Chancellor of the Order of Nova Scotia. Appointed by the Government of Canada in 2003 and reappointed in 2010 as Honourary Captain (Navy) to Maritime Forces Atlantic of the Royal Canadian Navy, she continues to serve as co-chair of the Community Leadership Advisory Council to the Admiral, National Council Chair of the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust and director of the Canadian Forces Liaison Council.

Currently, Mrs. Freeman is a national director of the Historica-Dominion Institute of Canada, the RCMP Foundation, the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, the International Women's Forum of Canada, the Canadian Friends of the Israel Museum, the Frank H. Sobey Awards for Excellence in Business Studies, and the Advisory Board of the Coady International Institute. Recently, she served as Honourary Chair of Mount Saint Vincent University's Capital Campaign and as advisor on the Legacy Committee of the 2011 Halifax Canada Games. She is also a recipient of several honourary degrees and prestigious awards, including the Woman of Action Humanitarian Award from the Canadian Israel Research Foundation and was recognized as a one of Canada's 100 Outstanding Women by the Richard Ivey School of Business and the Women's Executive Network.

About the TELUS Community Boards
TELUS Community Boards are an innovative model for funding youth-focused charities that delegates decision-making to local leaders who know their communities best. Eleven TELUS Community Boards are making a positive impact across Canada from coast-to-coast in Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Rimouski, Quebec City, Atlantic Canada and the most recently launched board in the Thompson Okanagan region of B.C. Since their inception in 2005, the Community Boards have contributed $30 million to grassroots charitable organizations and supported more than 2,300 community projects. 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. For more information about the TELUS Calgary Community Board or to apply for funding, please visit telus.com/community.

About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $10.4 billion of annual revenue and 12.7 million customer connections including 7.3 million wireless subscribers, 3.6 million wireline network access lines and 1.3 million Internet subscribers and more than 500,000 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. Eleven 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 to receive this prestigious international recognition.

For more information about TELUS please visit telus.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Emma Miller
TELUS Media Relations
647-464-6817
[email protected]