VANCOUVER — The Telus Friendly Future Foundation today announced a $2 million commitment to support the efforts of Canadian charities working to provide assistance to families and those displaced by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, including the Canadian Red Cross, Save the Children Canada and other national and local charities.
“We know that this is an extremely difficult time for so many people impacted by the devastating situation in Ukraine and Eastern Europe,” said Darren Entwistle, president and CEO of Telus, in a press release.
“Our Telus and Telus International teams continue to be guided by our heartfelt social purpose to leverage our technology and human compassion to improve the lives of our fellow citizens and, in this regard, the Telus Friendly Future Foundation is committing $2 million to address the growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
“Reflecting the Foundation’s deeply rooted commitment to support families and youth in communities around the globe, and further exemplify Telus’ global leadership in social capitalism, the funds will be directed to charitable organisations making a meaningful difference by providing safety, comfort and support to vulnerable children and their families, in addition to much-needed health care and emergency supplies,” Entwistle said.
The foundation’s $2 million in funding is in addition to $500,000 in donations and in-kind support that Telus and its employees have already provided to support humanitarian relief in Ukraine, according to the press release.
This support includes:
- The launch of an employee donation matching program, which to date has seen Telus team members donate $100,000 to the Canadian Red Cross, matched by Telus, for a total of $200,000.
- An initial $150,000 donation to the Canadian Red Cross from the Telus Friendly Future Foundation.
- The activation of a Text to Donate program, enabling Telus customers to make a $10 donation to the Canadian Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal by texting UKRAINE to 20222 from their mobile device.
- Enabling Telus customers to donate their Telus Rewards points to the Telus Friendly Future Foundation to support the Canadian Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal.
Telus also announced last week it is waiving long-distance charges for calls and texts made from Canada to Ukraine to help customers stay connected to loved ones in the country. Telus is also waiving roaming charges for any customers currently travelling in Ukraine, according to the company’s press release today.
