I’m so excited about the latest news regarding TELUS Friendly Future Foundation!
Disclaimer – This post was written in partnership with TELUS as part of the #TeamTELUS Advocate program. All thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are my own.
One of the things I love most about TELUS is their philanthropic initiatives. For my family, working with and supporting charities is something very important to us. Fundraising for causes close to our hearts is very important to us as a family. This is probably one of the main reasons we feel a kinship with TELUS.
Values. Helping others. Making a difference.
Like that time we (TELUS and Team TELUS advocates) packed 500 bags of food to fill the weekend hunger gap for kids in Metro Vancouver.
TELUS Friendly Future Foundation
Recently, TELUS announced that they are helping to give vulnerable kids a friendlier future with TELUS Friendly Future Foundation.
What could be better than helping to provide better access to health and education opportunities, powered by technology to the most vulnerable populations so they can thrive in our digital society?
This year, TELUS is giving an unprecedented $120 million to help vulnerable youth reach their full potential.
Did you know that across Canada, 1.5 million children go hungry without access to nutritious food every single day? The numbers are alarming to me. I explained to my nine year old daughter that 350,000 young people are in government care and, lacking the support of a family, and often experience trauma and an isolating transition into adulthood. It wasn’t until I read TELUS’ announcement that I was aware that 30,000 Canadians, many of them young people, are homeless on any given night and lack vital access to healthcare. I also did not realize that 40 per cent of low-income families lack affordable access to the Internet, putting kids at risk of falling behind in school.
It may seem unusual for kids to hear that some families do not have internet at home. I know in my daughter’s class, a good portion of the work they do is on the computer. The 21st century classroom and the use of Google classroom is the norm now. My mother-in-law asked me, “What about the kids who don’t have internet or a computer at home?” I had to pause to think about that, because I couldn’t imagine a household or family here not having the internet or a computer at home. The truth is, there are probably families who don’t have access at home and I shouldn’t have made the assumption that everyone in the rural north has internet at home.
The support provided by the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation complements TELUS’ existing social-purpose initiatives, including:
● Internet for Good, a ground-breaking program that offers nearly 30,000 low-income families in B.C. and Alberta access to low-cost, high-speed Internet and a computer. TELUS is expanding this program to even more families through the Government of Canada’s “Connecting Families” initiative this November;
● Mobility for Good, which offers a free cell phone and data plan to youth aging out of the foster care system in B.C., Ontario, and Quebec, ensuring this vulnerable population can stay connected to their support networks, social services, education and employment opportunities. TELUS will expand this program to Alberta this November, and Manitoba in February 2019;
● Health for Good, an innovative national program that provides healthcare to vulnerable and underserved Canadians through the deployment of specially equipped mobile health clinics into communities where frontline care is urgently needed. For more information about the foundation, to make a donation, or to apply for a grant, please visit friendlyfuture.com.
I am really excited about this announcement, and it makes me prouder than ever to be a #TeamTELUS advocate.
If you would like to donate to the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, simply head over here.
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