Prince Edward Island youth to put on their green thumbs with launch of Sierra Buddies this fall
TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board gives $5,000 to support Sierra Club’s mentorship program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 19, 2012
Charlottetown, P.E.I– Sierra Club Canada Atlantic Chapter has received support from the TELUS Community Board that will enable them to continue their youth mentorship program, Sierra Buddies, in PEI this fall.
The Sierra Buddies program guides youth to help make their schools and communities greener, while at the same time preparing them to be future leaders. Students at the Grade 10 level who have been trained and educated about environmental issues and concepts are paired up with Grade 6 students to share and spread their knowledge.
“We are thrilled and thankful the TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board is supporting our innovative environmental education program in PEI,” said Gretchen Fitzgerald, Director of the Sierra Club’s Atlantic Canada Chapter. “Right now, Sierra Club Canada – Atlantic Chapter is engaging in a fundraising campaign to ensure we can continue to be a voice for the Earth through programs like Sierra Buddies.”
“Programs that inspire youth to make a difference in their communities are vital for building our future leaders,” said General (ret.) Rick Hillier, TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board Chair. “TELUS is pleased to support Sierra Club in their effort to educate and empower youth about environmental issues.”
“As a teacher here on PEI, I see a real need to engage students with environmental issues in their communities. It’s amazing when you see students’ eyes light up when they realize they not only understand an issue like climate change, but that they can do something with their peers to make things better,” stated Bethany Toombs, elementary educator and member of the Sierra Club Atlantic’s Executive Committee. “I certainly look forward to Sierra Buddies coming again to my school next fall!”
“As a volunteer, I have seen the impact Sierra Buddies can have on youth, our schools and the Island community, I am so pleased the TELUS Atlantic Community Board has become part of a growing forest of support for our work, and hope more individuals and corporations will help us in reaching our fundraising goal,” said Tony Reddin, educator and member of Sierra Club’s national Board.
Sierra Buddies will begin working with local schools to establish Sierra Buddies programs next fall. Interested schools or youth groups can contact atlanticcanadachapter@sierraclub.ca or call 902-444-3113. To donate to Sierra Club Atlantic’s fundraising campaign, please visit: atlantic.sierraclub.ca/en/donate-0.
About Sierra Club Canada – Atlantic Canada Chapter
Sierra Club Atlantic is a vibrant grassroots organization that empowers people to protect, restore, and enjoy a healthy safe planet. We are a chapter of Canada’s only national grassroots environmental organization, working to bring community concerns to the attention of regional and national leaders. Together, we are a credible, influential voice for the Earth, working to make a better world a reality.
We are involved in a broad range of activities from advocacy to education. Our major efforts are in the areas of energy and
climate change, community health, sustainable economies, the protection of wild spaces, and environmental education.
About Sierra Buddies
Sierra Buddies is a joint high school-elementary eco-mentorship program. Working together, high school students learn leadership, teamwork and public speaking skills while preparing to deliver two fun, interactive presentations to grade six classes on ecological footprints and sustainability. For more information, go to www.sierrabuddies.com
About the TELUS Community Boards
TELUS Community Boards are an innovative model for funding youth-focused charities that delegates decision-making to local leaders who know their communities best. Eleven TELUS Community Boards are making a positive impact across Canada from coast-to-coast in Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Rimouski, Quebec City, Atlantic Canada and the most recently launched board in the Thompson Okanagan region of B.C. Since their inception in 2005, the Community Boards have contributed $30 million to grassroots charitable organizations and supported more than 2,300 community projects. The TELUS Community Boards and the meaningful difference they make significantly contributed to TELUS receiving the Association of Fundraising Professionals 2010 Freeman Philanthropic Services Award for the Most Outstanding Corporation globally. For more information about the TELUS Calgary Community Board or to apply for funding, please visit telus.com/community.
About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $10.4 billion of annual revenue and 12.7 million customer connections including 7.3 million wireless subscribers, 3.6 million wireline network access lines and 1.3 million Internet subscribers and more than 500,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video.
In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $260 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 4.2 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Eleven 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.
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For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Gretchen Fitzgerald
Director, Sierra Club’s Atlantic Canada chapter
902-444-3113
Tony Reddin
National Board Member, Sierra Club Canada
902- 675-4093
Emma Miller
TELUS Media Relations
647-464-6817
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