The TELUS Friendly Future Foundation’s Together for Tomorrow Gala raised a record-breaking $3M on June 18, creating new opportunities for underserved youth across Canada through post-secondary bursaries and community programs designed to help them thrive. More than 800 guests gathered for an evening of entertainment and impact, highlighted by an exclusive headline performance by four-time Grammy award winner Lionel Richie. The event was held at the iconic TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning in Toronto and also welcomed TELUS Student Bursary recipients and grant beneficiaries as honoured guests.
Presented by TELUS, the gala brought together hundreds of leaders from Canada’s business, philanthropic, technology, and arts communities. The evening’s generous support will fund the TELUS Student Bursary program and TELUS Community Board Grants, supporting thousands of young Canadians through bursaries, mentorship opportunities and community-based programs that help remove barriers to education, employment and well-being.
The evening builds on the recent announcement of TELUS President and Chief Executive Officer Darren Entwistle and Fiona Entwistle’s landmark $1 million personal donation to the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation. This transformative gift officially launched the Entwistle Technology Bursary, designed to open doors for youth in financial need pursuing post-secondary education in science, math, and technology who are committed to making a positive difference in their communities. The generous donation has inspired further community support, as evidenced by the exceptional fundraising results from last Thursday’s gala.
Building on the success of the first two galas, this year’s third annual event brings the three-year total to over $8.1M. This achievement reinforces the Foundation’s position as Canada’s preeminent corporate foundation dedicated to youth empowerment. Since inception, the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation and TELUS Community Boards across Canada have provided $140 million to support youth. In 2025 alone, the Foundation exceeded $10 million in awarded TELUS Student Bursaries and Community Board grants.
Since 2000, TELUS and its team members have contributed more than $1.85 billion in cash, in-kind contributions, time and programs and volunteered 2.5 million days to support communities around the world.
The Foundation extends sincere gratitude to presenting sponsor TELUS, and all donors, sponsors and partners who made this remarkable event possible, including:
- Luminary Sponsor: Darren & Fiona Entwistle
- Trailblazer Sponsor: RBC Capital Markets
- Innovator Sponsors: AECON, Asurion, Amazon, BGIS, CIBC, Garofalo Family Foundation, Google Cloud, Ledcor, National Bank, Samsung, The&Partnership, TD Securities, WestJet
- Activation sponsors: AFL, Amdocs, BMO Capital Markets
Every young person deserves the chance to reach their full potential. To support the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation’s mission of helping underserved youth across Canada access education, opportunity and brighter futures, visit friendlyfuture.com/donate. For organizations, foundations, and philanthropists interested in creating lasting impact through named bursary opportunities or strategic partnerships, please contact Louise Malhotra at lmalhotra@friendlyfuture.com.
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TELUS Friendly Future Foundation Gala raises record $3M to transform lives of underserved youth across Canada with Lionel Richie headlining event
The TELUS Friendly Future Foundation’s Together for Tomorrow Gala raised a record-breaking $3M on June 18, creating new opportunities for underserved youth across Canada through post-secondary bursaries and community programs designed to help them thrive. More than 800 guests gathered for an evening of entertainment and impact, highlighted by an exclusive headline performance by four-time Grammy award winner Lionel Richie. The event was held at the iconic TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning in Toronto and also welcomed TELUS Student Bursary recipients and grant beneficiaries as honoured guests.
Presented by TELUS, the gala brought together hundreds of leaders from Canada’s business, philanthropic, technology, and arts communities. The evening’s generous support will fund the TELUS Student Bursary program and TELUS Community Board Grants, supporting thousands of young Canadians through bursaries, mentorship opportunities and community-based programs that help remove barriers to education, employment and well-being.
The evening builds on the recent announcement of TELUS President and Chief Executive Officer Darren Entwistle and Fiona Entwistle’s landmark $1 million personal donation to the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation. This transformative gift officially launched the Entwistle Technology Bursary, designed to open doors for youth in financial need pursuing post-secondary education in science, math, and technology who are committed to making a positive difference in their communities. The generous donation has inspired further community support, as evidenced by the exceptional fundraising results from last Thursday’s gala.
Building on the success of the first two galas, this year’s third annual event brings the three-year total to over $8.1M. This achievement reinforces the Foundation’s position as Canada’s preeminent corporate foundation dedicated to youth empowerment. Since inception, the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation and TELUS Community Boards across Canada have provided $140 million to support youth. In 2025 alone, the Foundation exceeded $10 million in awarded TELUS Student Bursaries and Community Board grants.
Since 2000, TELUS and its team members have contributed more than $1.85 billion in cash, in-kind contributions, time and programs and volunteered 2.5 million days to support communities around the world.
The Foundation extends sincere gratitude to presenting sponsor TELUS, and all donors, sponsors and partners who made this remarkable event possible, including:
Every young person deserves the chance to reach their full potential. To support the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation’s mission of helping underserved youth across Canada access education, opportunity and brighter futures, visit friendlyfuture.com/donate. For organizations, foundations, and philanthropists interested in creating lasting impact through named bursary opportunities or strategic partnerships, please contact Louise Malhotra at lmalhotra@friendlyfuture.com.
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This entry was posted on June 22, 2026 at 9:36 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Telus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.