As part of its longstanding commitment to giving back to the Filipino community, TELUS International Philippines (TIP) recently engaged more than 3,500 team members in the TELUS Days of Giving (TDOG) Virtual Fitness Challenge to raise funds in support of World Vision Development Foundation, a global humanitarian organization dedicated to improving the lives of children, families, and their communities.
Engaging Employees in a Virtual Fitness Challenge
More than 3,500 team members raised funds for the TDOG Virtual Fitness Challenge, participating in either a 360-minute Move Challenge or 42 km Run Challenge, monitoring their exercise activities using a fitness gadget or a mobile fitness app throughout the month of May. The 360-minute Move Challenge allows participants to take on a wide range of exercise activities, such as jogging, yoga, biking, dancing, and boxing, while the Run Challenge allows team members to complete 42 km – the equivalent of a marathon.
“Giving back and creating more sustainable communities have always been integral to our culture at TELUS International Philippines. Following the TDOG Virtual Run in 2021 from last year, we wanted to empower our team members to continue raising funds for children and youth beneficiaries from World Vision, and at the same time promote health and well-being among those working from home by facilitating a virtual fitness challenge,” said Carlos Giammattei, TELUS International Brand, Marketing and Culture Director for Asia-Pacific.
Supporting DepEd’s Learning Continuity Plan
Through the fitness challenge, TIP reinforced its commitment to support the Abutin Na10 Campaign, a fundraising drive that benefits distance learning initiatives for students through the Department of Education’s learning continuity plan.
“All donations and funds raised through this effort will be used to reproduce self-learning materials and support Brigada Pagbasa, a reading remediation program. Our goal for this year is to distribute 13,000 printed modules to students from last-mile schools in the Philippines,” said Phoebelyn Carrera, Corporate Social Responsibility Senior Manager at TELUS International.
Since 2014, TDOG initiatives from TELUS International Philippines in support of DepEd’s Brigada Eskwela program have touched the lives of more than 49,000 students in 20 schools.
“We owe TDOG’s continued success to each team member who invested their time, effort, and hearts in activities where they can serve our communities and in causes that truly matter to them. The TDOG Virtual Fitness Challenge is just one great example of the positive synergies that happen when a volunteer program is aligned with a company’s culture and principles,” Carrera asserted.
Giving Back to the Community Across Asia Pacific
Since the program’s inception in the Philippines in 2007, TDOG activities have been bringing together team members, friends, families, clients, and charity partners every year to exemplify the spirit of volunteerism, generating positive impacts in local communities.
TIP’s efforts for this year’s TDOG Virtual Fitness Challenge go beyond the parameters of the Philippines, as these were part of a larger regional initiative in the Asia Pacific.
Staying true to the company’s philosophy of “we give where we live” for communities around the globe, TIP team members participated alongside their colleagues in India and China in their respective TDOG Virtual Fitness Challenges, raising funds to support additional local NGO partners in their countries.
“It warms our hearts to see that we continue to find new and impactful ways to help the community through the TELUS Days of Giving Virtual Fitness Challenge. We are thankful for the 4,000 team members across the Asia Pacific who dedicated more than 9,000 hours of volunteer service to the activity,” said Rajiv M. Dhand, TELUS International Regional Vice-President for Asia-Pacific.
This year, TELUS International team members collectively raised over US$40,000, which will be given to the three local charities across the Asia Pacific, including World Vision Development Foundation, China Association of SOS Children’s Villages, and SayTrees Environmental Trust.
“Aside from our goal to distribute 13,000 printed modules to students from last-mile schools in the Philippines, our team in China worked to promote mental health among orphans who need quality alternative care and educational support. For India, the program that we will support is the Miyawaki forest planting, where we aim to plant 2,000 trees in urban areas,” shared Dhand.
The success of the TDOG Virtual Fitness Challenge will be celebrated at an event on June 30 where the fastest runners in the Run Challenge and the fitness enthusiasts who burned the most calories in the Move Challenge will be recognized.