helping kids in need - About TELUS

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community ambassadors club updates Victoria The Victoria club has been busy since the last newsletter! We have submitted our budget for approval and held a planning session for this year’s events for both fundraising and volunteering. The boxes of supplies for the Kits for Kids backpacks have now arrived and are in the process of being assembled and delivered. Victoria ambassadors from left to right: Karen Hilder, Mary Pollon, and Mary Knudsen. Two of our members, Linda Wallace and Louise Hatton completed their Food Safe course in April to prepare for our anticipated retirees/employees barbeque and garage sale events June 16-17. On Wednesday of National Volunteer Week in April, several ambassadors, along with employees at two Victoria sites, greeted TELUS team members on their way in to work encouraging them to sign up for the TELUS national day of service. Ron Merk shaking hands with Todd Abercrombie, Executive Director, regarding TELUS’ Charitable Giving Campaign towards the purchase of physiotherapy equipment at the MS Society in Victoria. Page 4 Connections – TELUS Community Ambassadors Vancouver Central The Vancouver Central club has been busy over the past few months with both local and provincial activities. Volunteers have been busy working to get the Kits for Kids school supplies and backpacks out to the various local schools. Also well underway is the process of filling the packs for provincial distribution to school districts and/or schools around our province. Other local activities have been volunteering at the many corporate and charity events around the Lower Mainland, along with the ongoing managing of the employee and retiree 50/50 lotteries. Everyone is looking forward to the TELUS ambassadors launch event with much anticipation and excitement. Fraser Valley The Fraser Valley alumni team makes finger puppets and preemie toques for various Fraser Valley Hospitals; sews cancer turbans and Christmas stockings; organise an annual garage sale; raises funds to support a charity of choice each year; organises the collection and sales for a monthly book fair at the Boot; and organises volunteers for various events as required. Linda Jackson delivers 45 children’s books to the Burnaby Family Life Day Care. We have members working with Life Line, but we could always use more people at this time. We supply volunteers for various TELUS projects – selling hippos, registration at the Justice Institute in New West for a safety meeting, helping with the AGM, and recruiting employees for the TELUS national day of service. people profile: Shirley MacIntyre (Cranbrook) Shirley worked at BC TEL in Cranbrook for 27 years and retired as a BAR rep in 1982. In her 22 years of retirement she has volunteered with the Canadian Cancer Society. After being diagnosed with cancer, she went into the society seeking information and has been involved ever since as a Unit Level Volunteer in Volunteer Resources and Patient Services. Shirley says, “Volunteering has helped fill the days after retiring from BC TEL. It has been a rewarding and invigorating experience. I truly feel blessed to help others learn from my experience.” Gord Henderson, Diane Stiglish and Elenor Henderson present Mike (the coach) with a cheque for the purchase of special helmets and sports bags to the BC Special Olympics North Shore Floor Hockey Team. Some of our latest fundraising projects include the following: supplying 45 children’s books to the Burnaby Family Life Daycare; donating helmets and sports bags to the B.C. Special Olympics North Shore for children with autism and special needs; and providing two wheelchairs to the Queens Park Sub Acute Rehab Centre. We meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 11:30 am at the New Westminster Community Centre, Sixth Avenue and Cumberland (by the Canada Games Pool). In June 2006, we will be meeting at Newlands Golf & Country Club. There will be no meetings in July or August. Vancouver West Irene Olm is the president, Patty Armstrong is the head of the work party, Marg Austin is in charge of refreshments, Joan Archer takes care of fellowship, birthday acknowledgements and communication, and the book sale is organized monthly by Millie Neufeld. Our mottos are “If you see the need, we can do the deed” and “The more involved you become, the more satisfied you feel”. The Vancouver West club, known as the ‘Wednesday work party’ meet every Wednesday for an afternoon of knitting, sewing, and laughs. Some members have been retired for 25 years and still come in every week to meet with friends, volunteer, and have some snacks while making a difference in their communities. Currently we are raising funds along with other clubs to support teen mothers to learn parenting skills while finishing their high school diploma. We will be donating 15 baby bags, filled with lovingly knitted and crocheted baby layettes to the Burnaby General Hospital in early June. We meet the first Friday of every month at 1:00 pm in the auditorium at 3777 Kingsway in Burnaby. Call Irene Olm to get started at 604-432-1508 or find out about upcoming events by calling the hotline at 604-432-5992.
Prince George Volunteer appreciation week, April 23-29, was celebrated by retiree Dianne Girard, and employees Lorri Kidd, Gail Compton and Jean Brien, who greeted TELUS employees and handed out water bottles and chocolates to recruit employees to sign up for the TELUS national day of service. Prince George wants to get an early start for next winter. We are looking for spare wool to make toques, mitts & scarves, and also for the willing hands to make them. Our Tuesday sewing group is always looking for new members to join their fun, so if you have a couple of hours to donate, you will be welcome! If you are looking to get rid of any used sewing machines or sergers in good condition, we would appreciate the donation. Please contact Jean Brien at 250-565-3044, ext 1071. Okanagan Our annual garage sale was held on April 22, and we raised $544 for food banks in the Okanagan. More than 15 volunteers were available sorting, pricing and selling items. We want to thank all those who made donations of items and those on hand to help out. A special thank you goes out to Phil and Olga Bonderoff who had a garage full of sale items for months and who allowed us to use their place for the sale. Marie Fox, foreground, one of our volunteers on hand helping out at the garage sale with proceeds going to local food banks in the Okanagan. On May 3, Anne Miller, Marlene MacFarlane, Judy McFeeters and Gayle Seabrook were at two buildings in Kelowna handing out bottled water, chocolates, newsletters and volunteer opportunities in Kelowna. A thank you was given to those who have done any volunteer work in the community and an invitation was extended to get involved in the TELUS national day of service. Anne Miller (L) and Marlene MacFarlane (R) with handouts for TELUS employees. Life and Arts Festival preparations are underway with Sylvia Kerr and Olga Bonderoff helping with kites for school children. Judy McFeeters inserted maps into the programs for the Positively Posh Party held on May 12th and Yvette Martin wrapped apples in cellophane to hand out to the Positively Posh guests. The Life and Arts Festival is a cultural event held every year in Kelowna and is a key fundraiser for the Rotary Center for the Arts. TELUS community ambassadors provided more than 300 hours for this event with approximately 50 volunteers. On April 26, two employees, Dan Wood and Dan Hobson and three TELUS retired volunteers, Dave Harrison, Don Guild and Gord Miller cleaned up graffiti in the Crawford Estates area near the trailead of the Myra- Bellevue Provincial Park. They also worked on clearing boulders and raking trails in the area that had been burned out by the big fire in 2003. Both Dans are on the board of the FOSS team—Friends of the South Slopes— who work with B.C. Parks and are dedicated to preserving the integrity of the South Slopes of Kelowna by constructing and maintaining signage, trails and public facilities. Upcoming Okanagan events include the following: June 4 – Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Run; June 9 – Wild Festival for Youth – working with Robert Bateman helping the Peregrine Falcon; June 16 – Crimestoppers Golf Tournament; July 9-10 – Guisachan Garden Show – Contact is Judy Helmer at 762-8681. We are asking for any donations of wool to help with the making of afghans for our Senior Christmas gift pack and mittens for preschool children. If you have any wool you don’t need, please contact Dona Miller at 250-860-8070. Also, baby wool is required by the Osoyoos group who make the preemie toques for the hospitals. The contact is Pat MacLeod at 250-495-7731. Kamloops Kamloops ambassadors delivered a total of 10 dozen Teddy Bears to the Royal Inland Hospital Pediatrics, Children and Family Services, RCMP Victim Services, Kamloops Food Bank Children’s Program, and the Boys & Girls Club in April. Teddy bears at the Boys & Girls Club of Kamloops have a significant purpose, as they are used within the Circle of Friends program. Circle of Friends is a grief and loss support program for children aged 6-12 years. Each participating child receives a special ‘bear’ friend to help them learn to cope with their loss. Trained staff assist children to learn coping skills, and the children in the program develop a support system for each other. Thank you notes to the TELUS community ambassadors from the Boys & Girls Club of Kamloops. people profile: Judy Needham (Langley) “Breast cancer changed my perspective on life. Before that, I think they would have had to drag me out of my office at 65,” says TELUS retiree and breast cancer survivor, Judy Needham. As a volunteer with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF), Judy championed the development of the first-ever Breast Cancer Navigation Map in Canada. She was nominated for an Individual Community Service award from CBCF for the map, and was chosen as a finalist for the award from Volunteer Vancouver. Her contribution has helped to improve the system so that other women who face the disease have a more positive experience. Judy also served on the board of directors for CBCF for 2 years. TELUS Community Ambassadors – Connections Page 5
Page 1 and 2: issue two june/july 2006 connection
Page 3: TELUS connects with our communities
Page 7 and 8: winners of the 50/50 pensioners’

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