TELUS Friendly Future Foundation’s inaugural gala raises over $2.5M to support underserved youth across Canada
More than 700 guests gathered for a one-night only event with performances by Barenaked Ladies, Arkells, Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, and Jully Black
Last night, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation hosted its inaugural fundraising gala, at the iconic TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, home of the Royal Conservatory of Music. ‘Together for Tomorrow: A Friendly Future Gala by TELUS’ raised over $2.5M to help youth from underserved communities reach their full potential.
More than 700 guests gathered to enjoy fine dining, a concert featuring performances by Juno Award-winning artists and a live and silent auction. The Foundation was also proud to welcome its TELUS Student Bursary recipients as honoured guests at the event.
“Our inaugural gala united guests from Canada’s leading business, philanthropic and arts communities, and I am exceedingly grateful for their support of the critical work being undertaken by TELUS Friendly Future Foundation. Together, we are proud to have raised over $2.5 million, which will empower underserved young people across Canada to realize their full potential,” said Darren Entwistle, President & CEO of TELUS and Founding Donor, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation. “The money raised will support the Foundation’s TELUS Student Bursary program, which is the country’s largest national bursary fund, helping to ensure that every young person in Canada who wants an education can get one, regardless of their socioeconomic circumstances, whilst supporting the Foundation’s important efforts to create a friendlier future for our inspiring leaders of tomorrow.”
Since launching in 2018, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation has funded more than 500 local and grassroots charities each year; enabling these organizations to deliver life-changing health and education outcomes to support over 15 million youth nationwide – significantly more than any other Canadian Foundation. With the support of our partners, 100% of funds raised will go directly to support youth, including financial assistance for hundreds of students facing financial difficulties through the Foundation’s TELUS Student Bursary. Our thanks to Jay McCauley and Christi Himmelheber who Co-Chaired the event.
“I am honoured to support the life-changing efforts of TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, and deeply committed to raising the profile of the Foundation’s important work,” said Ashif Mawji, Chair of the Board, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation. “The gala spotlighted some of the most hard-working and inspiring youth I’ve met, and I am in awe of their passion, perseverance and success. The results of this year’s gala demonstrates first-hand the incredible impact individuals can make when we come together to help support real, meaningful change in the lives of young people.”
To help even more young changemakers attend post-secondary or to help fund critical local programming for youth in your community please visit friendlyfuture.com.
Founded in 2018 through an unprecedented $120 million endowment from TELUS, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is a Canadian registered charity that believes all youth, regardless of circumstance, deserve an opportunity to reach their full potential. By funding more than 500 charities each year that provide education and health programs, many enabled by technology, along with providing educational bursaries, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is helping more than 2 million youth in communities across Canada build skills, confidence and feel a sense of belonging. To date, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation has contributed $47 million in grants to 2,700 charitable projects. In 2023 alone, we provided more than $9 million in grants to 550+ charitable programs across Canada, and close to $2 million in bursaries to 400+ post-secondary students in financial need who are committed to making a difference in their communities. For more information on TELUS Friendly Future Foundation visit friendlyfuture.com.
TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company with more than $20 billion in annual revenue and over 19 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video, and security. Our social purpose is to leverage our global-leading technology and compassion to drive social change and 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. The numerous, sustained accolades TELUS has earned over the years from independent, industry-leading network insight firms showcase the strength and speed of TELUS’ global-leading networks, 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.
Operating in 32 countries around the world, TELUS International (TSX and NYSE: TIXT) is a leading digital customer experience innovator that designs, builds, and delivers next-generation solutions, including AI and content moderation, for global and disruptive brands across strategic industry verticals, including tech and games, communications and media, eCommerce and fintech, banking, financial services and insurance, healthcare, and others.
TELUS Health is a global healthcare leader, which provides employee and family primary and preventive healthcare and wellbeing solutions. Our TELUS team, along with our 100,000 health professionals, are leveraging the combination of TELUS’ strong digital and data analytics capabilities with our unsurpassed client service to dramatically improve remedial, preventive and mental health outcomes covering nearly 70 million lives, and growing, around the world. As the largest provider of digital solutions and digital insights of its kind, TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods enables efficient and sustainable production from seed to store, helping improve the safety and quality of food and other goods in a way that is traceable to end consumers.
Driven by our determination and vision to connect all citizens for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired TELUS and our team to contribute $1.7 billion, including 2.2 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 at @TELUSNews on X and @Darren_Entwistle on Instagram.
