Toronto Youth Receive $250,000 for Financial Literacy from TELUS

On Wednesday, November 30, as part of Financial Literacy Month, volunteers from TELUS were in classrooms across the GTA to deliver two of Junior Achievement of Canadaâ€™s (JA Canada) powerful finance programs to grade 7 and 8 students. Representatives from Junior Achievement of Canada (JACAN) and Junior Achievement of Central Ontario (JACO) were also in attendance at Canadian Martyr’s Separate School in Toronto, to accept a significant donation from TELUS, in the amount of $250,000 - the single largest corporate donation ever recorded by JACO.

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Designed to further realize the unlimited potential of youth, TELUSâ€™ $250,000 donation was raised through a smartphone campaign that earmarked $50 to JA Canada for every smartphone activation by a Toronto-based business*. Funds raised are in support of two key JA Canada programs that will positively impact more than 4,500 students across the GTA. The programs include Dollars with Sense, an age-appropriate introduction to personal finance that helps students understand how to plan for their financial futures, and Economics for Success, a course that inspires students to recognize the positive correlation between staying in school and achieving their dreams.

It is not by chance that TELUS represents a link between business education and technology. The TELUS initiative comes at time when JA Canada will look to expand its traditional classroom delivery model into the digital learning space, offering a world of limitless possibilities for JA in Canada and its ability to positively impact youth.Â Â

The event also drew to a successful close the first ever Financial Literacy Month in Canada. Last year, over 216,000 students, in more than 400 communities across the country, benefited from our programs including those dedicated to financial literacy. Economics for Success and Dollars with Sense, reached over 93 and 33 thousand students respectively.

UPDATE: December 13, 2011 - Jennifer Kirner, Senior Community Investment Manager at TELUS, paid a visit to the JA Canada national office with some early holiday cheer: a hand-delivered $250K investment in Canada’s youth. “Take a Closer Look” at the Impact of JA and the difference TELUS’ gift will make on the future of our youth - www.JAImpact.ca.

Core Facts

For over 55 years, as the largest youth education organization in Canada, Junior Achievement (JA) has been inspiring and preparing more than 2.7M youth to succeed in an ever-changing global economy. Last year alone, more than 216,000 students, in over 400 communities, benefited from JA programs that were delivered by more than 13,000 dedicated business mentors, who presented in excess of 1.4M hours of instructional time.
Each day, Junior Achievement staff and volunteers located in 15 Charter offices across Canada work hard toward the attainment of one common goal - to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Guided by core values, JA aspires to be recognized by businesses, educators and policymakers across the country as the premiere organization for inspiring and preparing youth to be successful, contributing members of a global society.
TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $10.3 billion of annual revenue and 12.6 million customer connections including 7.2 million wireless subscribers, 3.6 million wireline network access lines, 1.3 million Internet subscribers and more than 450,000 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. Eleven TELUS Community Boards across Canada lead TELUSâ€™ 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.

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Quotes

"I am extremely pleased we achieved our goal of raising $250,000. TELUS? gift will help build the next generation of entrepreneurial spirit and leadership in Toronto through Junior Achievement ? an organization renowned for developing future entrepreneurs. TELUS supports small-and-medium-sized businesses in all their wireless needs and, in turn, these businesses are helping to provide Toronto youth with the education and funding they require to become our future business leaders.?

Jim Senko, Vice-President of Small and Medium Business Marketing,TELUS

"Junior Achievement is about youth, as represented by the students who are here in this classroom with us today. We value our meaningful relationship with TELUS, not only for their financial leadership, of which we are extremely grateful, but for their ongoing commitment to mentorship, as evident by their active participation today, in schools across the GTA, and in the lives of youth across much of the country.?

Stephen Ashworth, Senior Vice President, Operations and Education, JA Canada

"What's important to note here is that the need for financial Literacy awareness and education across Canada does not end on November 30th. Financial literacy means having the knowledge, skills and confidence to make responsible financial decisions. The process starts early, in classrooms just like this one, and is ongoing throughout life.?

Stephen Ashworth, Senior Vice President, Operations and Education, JA Canada

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13th December 2011