Canadians Lace-Up and Walk in the 2014 TELUS Walk to Cure Diabetes

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - June 06, 2014) - On June 8, Canadians in approximately 70 cities across the nation will "Join the Community" as they take part in the 2014 TELUS Walk to Cure Diabetes and walk toward a cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D). This year marks the largest fundraising goal ever of reaching $8 million in total donations and pledges. Since its Canadian inception in 1994, the TELUS Walk to Cure Diabetes has raised over $100 million for diabetes research.

"Canadian researchers are at the forefront of many outstanding breakthroughs in T1D research. From the discovery of insulin, to successful islet cell transplants, and technology moving us closer than ever to delivering a fully automated artificial pancreas, we are pushing closer and closer to a cure," said Dave Prowten, President and CEO of JDRF. "Striking suddenly, T1D is a devastating diagnosis for the whole family, which is why the TELUS Walk to Cure Diabetes is so significant, as it provides an opportunity to unite the T1D community across Canada."

This year is particularly special as it marks the 20^th Anniversary of the TELUS Walk to Cure Diabetes. To celebrate, we are hosting the second annual TELUS Walk Virtual Scavenger Hunt, where Walk participants can participate in 20 days of photo sharing via Twitter. Each day, JDRF Canada will post a topic for participants to photograph and share on Twitter using the official Walk hashtag #TELUSWalk.

Through its partnership with JDRF, TELUS continues to help generate public awareness and raise funds to find a cure for T1D. Since 2000, TELUS alone has contributed more than $7 million to JDRF to fund scientific research. Almost 3,000 TELUS team members, family and friends participated in the TELUS Walk to Cure Diabetes and raised $550,000 in 2013.

"As an organization, we are very proud to be part of a community that is working hard to find a cure for type 1 diabetes," said Joe Natale, TELUS President & CEO and National Co-Chair of the 2014 TELUS Walk to Cure Diabetes. "We are inspired by the steady progress we see in research, and we know that these advances are a direct result of the commitment made by the many passionate Canadians who participate in the TELUS Walk."

A leader in using its technology and network to support healthcare, TELUS will join forces with JDRF to promote research that evaluates how to best leverage electronic health records to bring together Canadians and their healthcare providers in an effort to better manage their care. As part of this goal, TELUS is currently working with the University of Alberta in a project that allows patients with diabetes greater access to their health information through the use of mobile Personal Health Records (PHR), and provides them with the ability to communicate with their healthcare team from their smartphone.

"At TELUS Health we know the most effective chronic disease management programs are patient-centric. They encourage self-management and are built on evidence-based outcomes. Our support of the Walk underscores our continued leadership in utilizing our technology to help patients living with T1D," said Paul Lepage, President of TELUS Health and National Co-Chair of the 2014 TELUS Walk to Cure Diabetes. "The annual TELUS Walk to Cure Diabetes is also an event close to my heart. As a father of children living with T1D, I am proud that TELUS, my fellow team members, friends, family and Canadians across the country choose to give where they live and walk together to help get us one step closer to making type 1 diabetes a thing of the past."

This year, more than 45,000 people across Canada and five other countries will be part of the TELUS Walk to Cure Diabetes. People can register individually, in teams of family and friends, or as organizational teams.

"On behalf of JDRF and the more than 300,000 Canadians living with T1D, I would like to thank our sponsors -- TELUS, OneTouch, Sun Life Financial and Sun-Rype -- for their dedication towards supporting diabetes research to find a cure," said Prowten. "By walking, pledging to fundraise, or donating, you will help support the brightest researchers in Canada and around the world push vital research forward -- and together, I know we can turn type one into type none."

To join the TELUS Walk to Cure Diabetes community, visit jdrf.ca/walk.

About T1D
T1D, the most severe form of diabetes, is a non-preventable autoimmune disease that strikes children and adults suddenly and lasts a lifetime. More than 300,000 Canadians and their families suffer from this disease and are faced with its devastating complications.¹

Unlike type 2 diabetes, T1D cannot be prevented by diet, exercise or medication. Living with the disease demands constant blood testing and regulating. A person with T1D requires approximately 1,500 needles and 2,200 finger-pokes each year to test their blood sugar.²

Join Us!

• Participate by walking in your community; register at jdrf.ca/walk.
• Pledge to fundraise by asking friends, family or co-workers to support you in joining the TELUS Walk community, because every dollar counts. Get started fundraising today and show your spirit on event day.
• Donate to someone else's walk, or make a general donation to support the 2014 TELUS Walk to Cure Diabetes at jdrf.ca/donatetowalk.

About JDRF Canada
JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. JDRF's goal is to progressively remove the impact of T1D from people's lives until we achieve a world without T1D. JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners and is the only organization with the scientific resources, regulatory influence, and a working plan to better treat, prevent, and eventually cure T1D. As the largest charitable supporter of T1D research, JDRF is currently sponsoring $530 million in scientific research in 17 countries. For more information, please visit jdrf.ca.

About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T) (NYSE: TU) is Canada's fastest-growing national telecommunications company, with $11.5 billion of annual revenue and 13.3 million customer connections, including 7.8 million wireless subscribers, 3.2 million wireline network access lines, 1.4 million Internet subscribers and 842,000 TELUS TV customers. TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services, including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video, and is Canada's largest healthcare IT provider.

In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $350 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 5.4 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. 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.

¹ Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Type 1 Fact Sheet. http://www.jdrf.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=62495B79-DE19-05A3-5168B63985B9E8B2. Accessed April 2013.

² Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Fundraising Guide, https://jdrfca.donordrive.com/assets/JDRFca/files/$cms$/102/1411.pdf. Accessed April 2013.