Deliver Your News to the World

Hon. Frances Lankin appointed new Chair of the TELUS Toronto Community Board


WEBWIRE

TELUS and community leaders to donate $700,000 to Toronto charities in 2011



Toronto, ON – TELUS today announced that community leader the Hon. Frances Lankin has accepted the role as the new Chair of the TELUS Toronto Community Board. Ms. Lankin will take the reins for a three year term from outgoing Board Chair, Rita Burak.



“I am extremely pleased to welcome Frances who has a remarkable track record of serving the people of Ontario and making a positive and lasting difference in our communities,” said Darren Entwistle, TELUS President and CEO. “Through her work with the United Way and as a Member of Provincial Parliament, Frances has worked tirelessly to help those less fortunate through programs that have given individuals and families new hope and stability to build a better life. Under her guidance, the TELUS Toronto Community Board will continue to partner with grassroots charities and fund initiatives that directly benefit children and families in need.”



Entwistle added, “I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Rita for her remarkable dedication and leadership as the first Chair of the TELUS Toronto Community Board, which has given more than $3.8 million to support over 220 community projects since 2006. Her contributions have made life better for thousands of at-risk youth across the Greater Toronto area through partnerships that provide coaching and mentoring, participation in sports and the arts, leadership opportunities and friendship.”



The TELUS Toronto Community Board is comprised of community leaders and TELUS team members who come together to make local funding decisions in areas that positively impact the future of youth in our community. This year alone,


the Board expects to donate $700,000 to local charities.



“The TELUS Toronto Community Board reaches a vast number of local charities in an innovative and effective manner, and this stands out to me as quality philanthropy,” said Ms. Lankin. “I am looking forward to working with this impressive Board as we strive to make a difference in the community for all Torontonians.”



Along with Ms. Lankin, the TELUS Toronto Community Board is comprised of community leaders including vice-chair Sandy McIntosh, TELUS; Nichole Anderson, president and CEO, Business of the Arts; Scott Campbell, former chair of the Board for Trillium Health Centre; Dr. Gervan Fearon,

Dean, The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University; Keith Forde, deputy chief (retired), Toronto Police Service; Shirley Hoy, chief executive officer, Toronto Lands Corporation and Jim O’Neil, director, Community and Health Services Partnerships, St. Michael’s Hospital.



Rita Burak has been helping TELUS achieve our goal to give where we live since 2006. She is both chair of the TELUS Toronto Community Board and a member of the TELUS Ontario Advisory Committee. In addition to sharing her deep community knowledge and business acumen with TELUS, Rita serves on the board of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada, is a trustee for the University Health Network, and a member of the board of the Glendon School of Public Affairs.



Rita is the president and CEO of the consulting partnership, The Network Executive Team, Management Consultants, Inc. She is a recipient of the Order of Ontario.



Throughout her career, Ms. Lankin has been an influential contributor to the philanthropic movement. Her accomplishments and achievements signify the dedication she has towards her community. Over the course of a decade, Ms. Lankin served as president and CEO of the United Way Toronto. Prior to that she served as a Member of Provincial Parliament for 11 years. During this time, she applied her varied expertise in successive roles including Minister of Government Services, chair of the Management Board, Minister of Health and Minister of Economic Development and Trade. In 2009, Ms. Lankin was sworn in to the Queen’s Privy Council of Canada and appointed by the Prime Minister as a member of the Security Intelligence Review Committee.



Currently, Ms. Lankin is a member of the Ontario Press Council and has served on the Board of Directors of The Canadian Club, the Toronto City Summit Alliance and the Board of Governors of Seneca College. She has received several honourary degrees and prestigious awards, including the Queen’s Jubilee Medal.



TELUS has ten community boards across Canada that allocate funding for innovative projects that support youth through the use of technology. Since its launch in 2006 the TELUS Toronto Community Board has given more than $3.8 million in support of more than 220 community projects. Some of the past recipients include: Youth Without Shelter, Drum Artz Canada and Sky’s the Limit.



Local grassroots organizations are invited to apply for up to $20,000 in one-time funding for innovative youth projects in the areas of arts and culture, education and sports and health and well-being in our environment. For more information about TELUS in the community or to apply for funding, visit telus.com/community.



About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $9.9 billion of annual revenue and 12.3 million customer connections including 7 million wireless subscribers, 3.7 million wireline network access lines and 1.2 million Internet subscribers and more than 350,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, entertainment and video.



In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees will, by year-end 2011, have contributed $245 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 4.1 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Ten TELUS Community Boards across Canada lead TELUS’ local philanthropic initiatives. 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.



WebWireID142351





This news content was configured by WebWire editorial staff. Linking is permitted.

News Release Distribution and Press Release Distribution Services Provided by WebWire.