Focus on Nature receives a $20,000 Community Board grant from TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, helping over 1500 in-need children build a healthy connection to nature

Guelph, ON - Focus on Nature is excited to announce that the TELUS Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area Community Board and TELUS Friendly Future Foundation have donated $20,000 to contribute towards their workshop subsidisation project for the Hamilton Region. 

“Due to financial challenges, there are so many young people in the Hamilton region that can't gain access to programs quite like ours. We have been looking to really kick off this project for a while now and we are thrilled that TELUS Friendly Future Foundation sees the benefit Focus on Nature can have for the youth in Hamiton. Our program not only gets children outside, but it also allows them to really express their creativity in a new light using technology. These workshops help promote a healthy child-nature connection and we can’t wait to start getting into different Hamilton schools to help inspire these young people to get outside and explore nature”, said Sarah Fontes Executive Director of Focus on Nature.

Thanks to the generous support of $20,000 from TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, Focus on Nature will be able to offer 55 subsidized workshops to high-priority or low-income schools in the Hamilton Region. This alone can reach as many as one thousand six hundred and fifty (1,650) youth. 

“Through our partnerships with charities supporting youth, we’ve seen firsthand the long-lasting, positive impacts that environment-focused learning can have on youth in communities,” said Nimtaz Kanji, Executive Director of TELUS Friendly Future Foundation. “We are proud to support Focus on Nature with a $20,000 Community Board grant, enabling them to offer subsidized workshops to thousands of youth in low-income schools.”

For more information on Focus on Nature and the Workshop subsidisation project for the Hamilton Region, please visit focusonnature.ca, and for more information on TELUS Friendly Future Foundation visit friendlyfuture.com.

Focus on Nature is a registered charity that inspires young people to explore and connect with their local environment through nature photography. At school workshops and day camps as well as through photography exhibits, they give children of all abilities and backgrounds a renewed awareness of their own creative potential while exploring the natural world around them. As a registered charity, they welcome donations, including equipment and time, to strengthen program delivery.

For more information, contact Sarah Fontes at 519-535-5439 or saraht@focusonnature.ca

TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is a Canadian registered charity that believes all youth, regardless of circumstance, deserve an equal opportunity to reach their full potential. That is why we’re committed to giving youth the opportunity to belong. By funding more than 500 charities each year that provide education and health programs, many enabled by technology, along with providing educational bursaries, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is helping more than two million youth in communities across Canada build skills, confidence and feel a sense of belonging. In 2023 alone, we provided more than $9 million in grants to 550+ charitable programs across Canada, and close to $2 million in bursaries to 400+ post-secondary students experiencing financial need and who are committed to making a difference in their communities.

For more information on TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, visit friendlyfuture.com