VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As part of TELUS’ passion to make the future friendlier for all Canadians and citizens across the globe, TELUS is proud to announce that it gave five per cent of its pre-tax profits -- more than any other Canadian organization -- in support of charities, community organizations and programs in Canada and around the world in 2020. Last year alone, the TELUS team gave $85 million to drive meaningful, positive change for our most vulnerable citizens during a year of unprecedented uncertainty and hardship.
“For more than two decades, our TELUS team has demonstrated an unsurpassed commitment to creating a friendly future for people around the world, and driving positive social change in the global communities where we operate,” said Darren Entwistle, President and CEO, TELUS. “When our support was needed the most, we responded with passion and purpose to protect and support our communities and our customers. Indeed, our TELUS team is guided by our longstanding belief that doing well in business and doing good in our communities are mutually inclusive. Now more than ever, I am inspired by our team’s extraordinary efforts to enable remarkable human and social outcomes on a global basis. Last year alone, our TELUS team volunteered 1.25 million hours and contributed $85 million, representing five per cent of pre-tax profits to charitable and community organizations worldwide. It is this unparalleled dedication to making the world a better place, exemplified by our incredible team, that reinforces TELUS’ global leadership in social capitalism.”
A global leader in social capitalism with enduring roots in global communities
TELUS’ global leadership in social capitalism is the direct result of it’s long-standing commitment to leveraging its technology and compassion to create remarkable human outcomes. Since 2000, the TELUS team has contributed $1.3 billion in value, time, and financial support to charities and grassroots community organizations in Canada and in global communities where we operate, including 1.6 million days of volunteerism. Each year, TELUS team members and retirees worldwide volunteer more than one million hours in their local communities and support more than 4,000 charities and community organizations. Together, these efforts and more have contributed to TELUS’ numerous accolades in social capitalism. Last year alone TELUS was recognized by leading organizations including the Wall Street Journal’s Top 100 Most Sustainably Managed Companies, Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and Forbes’ World’s Best Employers 2020 ranking.
Helping Canadians through the COVID-19 pandemic
Last year, as the global pandemic gripped the world, TELUS sprang into action to support Canadians across the country. TELUS CEO Darren Entwistle set the tone by donating his salary for April, May, and June of last year, totaling approximately $400,000 to Canadian healthcare workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and critical research to combat the impact of the virus. The Entwistle Family Foundation, established in 2018 by Darren, his wife Fiona, and their two adult children, matched this donation. The organizations that received funding included the London Health Sciences Foundation, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, McGill University Health Centre Foundation, and Covenant Health Alberta. Darren was only one of a handful of CEOs globally who donated their salaries.
In addition to giving $85 million to charitable partners in 2020, TELUS collectively contributed more than $150 million to support COVID-19 related initiatives including:
- Partnering with school boards to offer high speed Internet at home for only $9.95 per month to families and K-12 students in need;
- Keeping Canada’s most vulnerable citizens connected, including seniors in long-term care homes by donating more than 14,000 free mobile devices and rate plans, valued at more than $14 million, to hundreds of organizations across the country;
- Launching the TELUS Mobility for Good program for Seniors, providing Canadian seniors receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) with a free smartphone and subsidized mobility rate plan to ensure they can stay connected to loved ones, reduce feelings of isolation, manage their mental wellbeing, and access important healthcare and government resources and information.
- Further expanding the TELUS Internet for Good program to more than 200,000 British Columbians, Albertans and Quebecers living with disabilities, giving them access to $10 per month high speed Internet to stay safely connected at home;
- Offering adult and youth sized reusable critter masks featuring TELUS’ loveable critters and nature themes on telus.com and in select stores across Canada, exceeding our goal of raising $535,000 for the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, supporting COVID-19 relief efforts across Canada;
- Volunteering 1.25 million hours of service, virtually and safely, to help build stronger, healthier communities by sewing masks and other personal protection items for frontline workers, delivering food and supplies to local food banks and families in-need, donating blood, and conducting phone check-ins for isolated seniors; and
- Donating 13,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to Canadian students as part of our Kits for Kids program at the start of the school year in September.
To learn more about TELUS’ commitment to giving back and global leadership in social capitalism, visit telus.com/socialimpact.
About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company with $16 billion in annual revenue and 16 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video, and security. We leverage our global-leading technology and compassion to enable remarkable human outcomes. Our longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. In 2020, TELUS was recognized as having the fastest wireless network in the world, reinforcing our commitment to provide Canadians with access to superior technology that connects us to the people, resources and information that make our lives better. TELUS Health is Canada’s leader in digital health technology, improving access to health and wellness services and revolutionizing the flow of health information across the continuum of care. TELUS Agriculture provides innovative digital solutions throughout the agriculture value chain, supporting better food outcomes from improved agri-business data insights and processes. TELUS International (TSX and NYSE: TIXT) is a leading digital customer experience innovator that delivers next-generation AI and content management solutions for global brands across the technology and games, ecommerce and FinTech, communications and media, healthcare, travel and hospitality sectors. TELUS and TELUS International operate in 25+ countries around the world.
Driven by our passionate social purpose to connect all citizens for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired TELUS, our team members and retirees to contribute more than $820 million and 1.6 million days of service since 2000. This unprecedented generosity and unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company in the world. Together, let’s make the future friendly.
For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com, follow us @TELUSNews on Twitter and @Darren_Entwistle on Instagram.
For more information, please contact:
Donna Ramirez
TELUS Media Relations
donna.ramirez@telus.com