Swift Current and area’s SaskTel TelCare program has just presented cheques to 8 non-profit organizations, giving back to the community in which it operates. 

The TelCare program allows employees to donate with minimal effort by automatic payroll deduction. For every dollar an employee at SaskTel gives, SaskTel Corporate matches half of it.  The total donation for this year from Swift Current and the area is $6,900, which could be divided up as $4,600 in employee contributions, and $2,300 in SaskTel's matched contribution. 

Many of the donations were directed toward various schools in the community to support their breakfast programs.

Lisa Bowers, the new secretary of the TelCare program in Swift Current was paying attention to where the money went this year. 

“It's just a program that we like to contribute to and make sure every kid goes to school with a full belly,” she stated. “A lot of the SaskTel staff have children that attend these schools. We know in Swift Current there are a lot of young families and a lot of kids that need a little extra help. All the schools are represented equally.” 

Donations to the TelCare program have been declining for several years, however, this year was an increase of $600 from 2022’s total.  

In 1950, SaskTel employees created a fund to give a helping hand to people in their communities. The fund, now called SaskTel TelCare, assisted 44 locally operated charities and non-profit organizations in Saskatchewan in 2022. 

SaskTel Sales Associate and former TelCare Secretary Danielle Carlson handed out many of the cheques. 

“We used to have like 80 or 90%, but now it's down to 50, so we're working on trying to get those numbers back up and as the economy strengthens a little bit,” Carlson stated. “We're trying to get more and more people. That's why these stories are so great, is just to get more employees to see the value and more people in the community to see what SaskTel is doing for the community.” 

Just over 600 SaskTel employees contribute regularly to SaskTel TelCare through payroll deductions across the province. In 2022, employees donated $128,832 and with SaskTel's additional donation of 50 cents for every employee dollar gifted, the final total raised for donation was nearly $193,250. 

Beyond the cheques accepted below, $125 was donated to the Lung Society of Canada.

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