community investment

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Vancouver community board

List of Community Board Members

The TELUS Vancouver Community Board was officially launched in January 2006 by TELUS President and CEO Darren Entwistle.  This progressive board, led by Nini Baird, allocates funding to innovative programs which involve youth and/or technology in Vancouver.  In 2008, the annual donation budget for this board was increased to $850,000.  Charitable organizations whose focus is in the areas of arts and culture, education and sport, or health and well-being in our environment are invited to apply using our online application form.

The following are examples of programs that the Vancouver board has funded in our focus areas:

• ArtStarts in Schools Program provides innovative arts programs for young people, practical resources for teachers and artists, and leadership in advocacy for arts in education. Through the Artists in Education residency program schools will partner with a professional artist to bring art to the classroom. The ArtStarts in the Schools new gallery, which opened in Fall 2006, is the first in Canada dedicated solely to exhibiting art created by young people, and will exhibit the show while also revealing the creative process of classroom residencies.
• Killarney Community Schools' Rec n' Reading Program balances literacy and recreation to improve reading and reading comprehension for six and seven year olds from primarily low-income families. The day ends with participants reading to their parent/caregiver, promoting family literacy and shared reading at home. Youth participating in the 2006 pilot program, supported by the TELUS Vancouver Community Board, improved their reading skills by an equivalent of one to two grades.
• YWCA of Vancouver "Welcome to My Life" is a new after-school program created to help Grade seven girls successfully transition from elementary to high school. The program runs over a six-week period with focus on health, fostering respect, confidence building, and social and community issues. Students from the University of British Columbia are trained to facilitate the program with the assistance of Grade 10 mentors and 'Wisdom Champions" (adult volunteers), creating a unique intergenerational learning experience.