Also makes investment in Indigenous impact fund
VANCOUVER — In celebration of International Women’s Day (March 8), Telus announced today it will donate the cost of movie rentals (up to $10,000) of 73 curated films in its Breaking the Glass Ceiling collection in the Telus Video on Demand library to the Dress for Success Canada Foundation, a not-for-profit organization offering career development tools for at-risk and underemployed women.
Available now until March 14 to all Optik and Pik TV customers, this curated collection includes biographical and landmark films featuring iconic female figures, such as Harriet, Little Women and RBG. Rentals cost between $5 and $7.
Optik and Pik TV customers can also access a curated selection of free titles from Telus Originals, Storyhive and YouTube playlists available on the Community Connections channel (channel 345). Customers can watch films produced by Canadian female filmmakers such as Akashi written and directed by Mayumi Yoshida, Laura written and directed by Kaayla Whachell, and The Foundation: Indigenous Hip Hop in Canada directed by Diana Hellson.
The full list of featured titles in the Breaking the Glass Ceiling collection can be found on the home screen of Optik and Pik TV or accessed by channel 130.
“International Women’s Day is more than a day listed on the calendar. It presents an opportunity to celebrate the efforts and achievements made by women around the world who break barriers, demonstrate the courage to challenge the status quo, and pave the way forward for other women. Through the Optik collection, Breaking the Glass Ceiling, we are privileged to include Dress for Success Canada as our partner in this initiative as we continue to support diversity, equity, and gender equality in the workplace, and beyond,” said Zainul Mawji, president of home solutions at Telus, in a press release.
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In a separate announcement today, Telus announced its Pollinator Fund for Good has made a substantial investment in Vancouver-based Raven Indigenous Capital Partners’ Impact Investment Fund, which provides equity and equity-like capital to innovative, scalable, purpose-driven Indigenous enterprises.
According to Raven’s press release, the organization’s fund has secured $25 million in capital commitments from 38 investors drawn from across Canada and the United States. An email from a Telus spokesperson said the Telus Pollinator Fund for Good is the largest Canadian investor in Raven’s Impact Fund, although the amount of Telus’ investment was not disclosed.
“At Telus, we believe that companies operating in Canada have a responsibility to support Reconciliation. Through our investment in Raven Capital’s inaugural Indigenous Impact Fund, we will ensure greater opportunities for Indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs, whilst helping to bridge the socio-economic digital divide experienced by Indigenous peoples and communities,” said Darren Entwistle, president and CEO of Telus, in Raven’s press release.
“The Telus Pollinator Fund for Good fund was designed to connect purpose-driven companies, like Raven Capital, to the resources required to drive meaningful social and economic change. Together, the Telus Pollinator Fund for Good and Raven Capital will help to address some of the most pressing issues facing Indigenous communities across Canada.”
