Chance to caddie for the pros supports Jeneece Place

$700,000 raised for Jeneece Place so far - more to come

VICTORIA, BC, May 10 /CNW/ - Five golf fans will have the experience of a lifetime as personal caddies for the pros during the TELUS World Skins Game at Bear Mountain Resort, and they will help Jeneece Place become a reality while they do it.

The fundraising effort for Jeneece Place has surged forward in recent weeks. As of today, TELUS and the Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children have raised more than $700,000 toward Jeneece Place, double what had been raised just six months ago. Jeneece Place will be a home away from home for families who have to travel to Victoria for medical care.

One of many ways TELUS is raising money for Jeneece Place is by auctioning unique TELUS World Skins Game items and experiences on a special eBay site. Today, the most exciting eBay auction items of all went on the block - the chance to serve as personal caddies for Fred Couples, Retief Goosen, Ian Poulter, Camilo Villegas or Mike Weir during the TELUS World Skins Game June 21 and 22.

"We are so grateful for the generosity of Vancouver Island residents and TELUS. Every penny raised in these auctions and the TELUS TV fundraiser will go toward making life a little easier for families in challenging times, and far sooner than we would have ever dared dream," said Jeneece Edroff, the inspiration for Jeneece Place. "With the ongoing help of TELUS and the Queen Alexandra Foundation, we are well into raising the money needed to actually build and operate Jeneece Place."

Ms. Edroff added that she expects the Queen Alexandra Foundation, the charity managing the Jeneece Place project, will be able to announce a site and initial plans for Jeneece Place in the very near future.

"Vancouver Island needs Jeneece Place, and the TELUS team is honoured that we can help make it a reality, and soon," said Josh Blair, TELUS executive vice-president Human Resources. "TELUS is walking hand in hand with Jeneece and her family, the Queen Alexandra Foundation and the community to raise the money needed to create this special place for sick kids and their families on Vancouver Island."

The winners of the online caddie auctions will get exclusive access to walk inside the ropes alongside the PGA stars, enjoy the lively conversation amongst the players and see first hand how the players tackle the challenges of Bear Mountain Resort.

Each caddie package includes two nights' accommodation at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel, travel to and from the golf course each day, access to TELUS' exclusive hosting venue, a signed photo of the players, a two-day grounds pass to the TELUS World Skins Game for the winner's guest and unlimited bragging rights.

The caddie auction goes live on Monday, May 10, at 1 p.m. Pacific and will run for 10 days, closing on May 20 at 1 p.m. Golf fans can visit www.ebay.ca/telusskins to place their bids for this very exclusive opportunity. In addition to the caddie auction TELUS is offering several other items and experiences:

    
    -   The ultimate VIP fan experience package. The chance to golf with
        Canadian Olympic medal winner Steve Podborski in the Sunday pro-am,
        along with tee gifts, spending money, souvenirs, ground tickets and
        accommodation.
    -   A Samsung 3D TV package.
    -   Golf equipment signed by the players.
    

TELUS initiated the fundraising for Jeneece Place with a $100,000 donation last July during the announcement that the 2010 TELUS World Skins Game would be at Bear Mountain.

TELUS continues to donate $100 on behalf of every new TELUS TV customer on Vancouver Island, has partnered with Samsung to jointly donate $50 for every Samsung handset sold on the Island, is donating all money raised during the TELUS World Skins Game's fundraising initiatives, and has matched employee donations to Queen Alexandra Foundation to help build Jeneece Place.

For more information about Jeneece Place, please visit www.jeneeceplace.org or www.queenalexandra.org.

To read more about what TELUS is doing in B.C., visit http://www.telusevents.com/bc.

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $9.6 billion of annual revenue and 11.9 million customer connections including 6.6 million wireless subscribers, 3.9 million wireline network access lines and 1.2 million Internet subscribers and 200,000 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 have contributed $158 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 3.1 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Nine 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.

For further information: For media inquiries, please contact: Shawn Hall, TELUS Media Relations, [phone], [email protected]