FEBRUARY 16, 2023

Whitecaps FC launch new TELUS jersey in support of Canadian Blood Services

Together with premier partner TELUS, ‘Caps shine a light on the critical need for blood donations with Canadian Blood Services

VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC unveiled the club’s 2023 Bloodlines Jersey on Thursday, supporting Canadian Blood Services. The initiative is the first in conjunction with premier partner TELUS, featured prominently on the front of the jersey.

“We are proud to partner with TELUS to support Canadian Blood Services and to raise awareness for the critical need for blood donations,” said Axel Schuster, Whitecaps FC chief executive officer. “We believe in the collective power of our community to come together and make a real difference. For this reason, we are encouraging all Canadians from coast to coast to coast to download the Canadian Blood Services app and learn how they can support during this critical time.”

From February 16 to March 31, fans will be able to register for an account on the Canadian Blood Services app GiveBlood (

myaccount.blood.ca

) and show it at the

Whitecaps FC Official Store

or at a home match at BC Place to receive free personalized cresting (name & number) on a 2023 Bloodlines jersey. For more information on how to help support the Canadian Blood Services, visit

blood.ca

“Canadian Blood Services, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and TELUS all share a deep connection with the people of British Columbia. Whitecaps FC are taking a stand and urging football fans to join them in making a lifesaving difference by supporting Canada’s Lifeline,” said Jill Schnarr, Chief Brand and Communications Officer, TELUS. “With a need for over 100,000 new donors in Canada this year to keep up with demand, this partnership presents an incredible opportunity to make a lasting impact.”

“We are excited to receive support from Vancouver Whitecaps FC and TELUS through the new Bloodlines jersey. This jersey is not just a piece of clothing but represents a challenge to football fans to make a positive impact on their community,” said Gayle Voyer, associate director of donor relations with Canadian Blood Services.

Aubrey Hirsch
Aubrey Hirsch was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in September 2016 when she was only 17 months old. She received extensive chemotherapy treatment followed by a stem cell transplant in February 2017. During her treatment she also received more than 50 units of blood products that helped save her life. She is now seven years old and resides in Vancouver.

Marcus Milcik
Marcus Milcik was born in Surrey Memorial on November 10, 2014. After a day and a half, he slipped into a coma and started having seizures. No one at the hospital knew what was going on so he was transferred over to BC Children’s Hospital where he was diagnosed with a metabolic disorder called ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTC Deficiency). Markus was told that he did not have long to live. After five days of blood transfusions and hemodialysis and a liver transplant, he is now a healthy, silly, energetic, charismatic, and thriving eight-year-old.

Paul Sue
Paul Sue is a blood recipient who battled severe aplastic anemia which affects the body’s ability to produce blood cells. Over the course of treatment, Paul received over 100 blood and platelet transfusions. Like many people coping with medical conditions, he is very grateful to the strangers who donated blood to help save his life. Paul also helps champion the pledge-based

Partners for Life (PFL) program

that makes it easy for partners to record their contributions and donate as a team.

Joban Bal
Joban Bal is a UBC medical student from Surrey and Founder of

One Blood For Life Foundation

, a non-profit organization that promotes blood and stem cell donations. Since the fall of 2015, Joban has rallied university and high school students from across the Lower Mainland to promote blood and stem cell donations as a donor and as a champion with the Partners for Life. The group of 430 volunteers has donated and recruited donors who have contributed over 3,650 units of blood and registered 1,760 new stem cell donation registrants.

Ways to donate
There are many waysto join Canada’s Lifeline and make all the difference. You can volunteer your time, give a one-time or recurring financial donation, organize group donations in collaboration with another organization or community, or even sponsor a donation event.

For more information and how you can help support Canadian Blood Services, visit

blood.ca

.

About Partners for Life
It takes a team to save lives. Across our country, Canadian Blood Services’ Partners for Life member organizations unite to raise awareness and funds, donate blood or plasma, or support the stem cell or organ donation registries that patients are counting on.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC and thousands of other Partner for Life teams across Canada help contribute more than 300,000 units of blood, plasma and platelets to Canada’s Lifeline every year. The efforts of these incredible teams make all the difference to patients and the families who love them.

Learn more about Partners for Life

TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company with $18 billion in annual revenue and 18 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video, and security. Our social purpose is to leverage our global-leading technology and compassion to drive social change and enable remarkable human outcomes. Our longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. The numerous, sustained accolades TELUS has earned over the years from independent, industry-leading network insight firms showcase the strength and speed of TELUS’ global-leading networks, reinforcing our commitment to provide Canadians with access to superior technology that connects us to the people, resources and information that make our lives better.

Operating in 30 countries around the world, TELUS International (TSX and NYSE: TIXT) is a leading digital customer experience innovator that designs, builds, and delivers next-generation solutions, including AI and content moderation, for global and disruptive brands across high-growth industry verticals, including tech and games, communications and media and eCommerce and fintech.

TELUS Health is a global healthcare leader, which provides employee and family preventative healthcare and wellness solutions. Our TELUS team, along with our 100,000 health professionals, are leveraging the combination of TELUS’ strong digital and data analytics capabilities with our unsurpassed client service to dramatically improve remedial, preventative and mental health outcomes covering 68 million lives, and growing, around the world. As the largest provider of digital solutions and digital insights of its kind, TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods enables efficient and sustainable production from seed to store, helping improve the safety and quality of food and other goods in a way that is traceable to end consumers.

Driven by our determination and vision to connect all citizens for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired TELUS and our team to contribute $1.5 billion, including 2 million days of service since 2000. This unprecedented generosity and unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company in the world. Together, let’s make the future friendly.

For more information about TELUS, please visit

telus.com

, follow us at

@TELUSNews

on Twitter and

@Darren_Entwistle

on Instagram.

For more information, please contact:

Saara Rahikka

TELUS Media Relations

[email protected]