The CFS founding partner, the TelecomPioneers organization was established in 1911. Its international headquarters is in Denver Colorado (www.telecompioneers.org) and the National Headquarters is located in Regina, Saskatchewan. (www.canadianpioneers.ca)
The TelecomPioneers is the world’s largest industry-related volunteer organization with over 800,000 members who are current and retired employees of the telecommunications industry.
TelecomPioneers are leaders in corporate volunteerism, and with the support of their sponsoring companies; MTS, SaskTel and the Aliant group of companies: IslandTel, MTT, NBTel and NewTel they deliver a variety of educational programs. The Pioneers are committed to helping build healthy communities, supporting education and providing tools Canadian youth need to be successful. Members of the TelecomPioneers are employees and retirees of the telecommunications industry in every province across Canada.
Members have put aside differences in the highly competitive telecommunications industry to unite around a common cause of caring for their communities. While strongly focused on education projects, Pioneers also volunteer to improve the quality of life for adults and children with disabilities; to help homeless people and people needy of other basics for living; and to aid victims of natural disasters. Pioneers, in pursuit of their education focus, join other organizations in an effort to make a real and lasting impact on education. Huge colorful maps painted on school playgrounds by Pioneer volunteers help elementary-age children begin to develop an awareness of geography and placement of their location in relationship to other provinces and states within Canada and North America. This project is a very physical and visible demonstration of the Pioneers’ commitment to offering educators assistance as they improve the scope and quality of education for today’s children.
Along with Industry Canada and the provincial Ministries of Education, Pioneers enable schools to access surplus computers through Computers for Schools. More than 50 workshops across the country are “staffed” by Pioneer volunteers who refurbish the computers and load new software. School Boards apply for the equipment through provincial allocation committees comprised of educators, parents and Pioneers. Since the inception of the program in 1993, more than 500,000 computers have been delivered to schools free of charge. Industry Canada recently received the Telephone Pioneers’ first-ever external “People Who Care” award for their leadership role in the Computers for Schools program. The award is the highest form of recognition the Association can bestow upon any individual or organization that identifies and applauds the successful Pioneer equation – that is, the recognition of a need, the search for a solution, the plan of action, the enlistment of many to help and the resolution of the problem.
The A Book About Me program uses personalized storybooks filled with positive messages to help promote self-esteem in kindergarten and grade one children. Pioneers work with schools to order, deliver, and read the books to students. Each book is individualized and features the child’s name, their teacher’s name, and names of friends. The program’s personalized books captivate students, motivate them to read, and help them build positive self-esteem at an early age.
In partnership with the Trans Canada Trail Foundation, the Pioneers were critical to ensuring the success of Relay 2000. As national logistics partner, the Pioneers provided a mobile merchandising system which provided people with the opportunity to contribute to the building of the Trans Canada Trail by sponsoring Trail metres or to purchase Relay 2000 merchandise. As well, a calling system staffed by Pioneer volunteers, in facilities provided by the local sponsor company, was put in place to contact each of the 5,000 water carriers participating in the Relay.
Other Pioneer community service work includes tutoring, teaching technical skills needed in the high-tech business world, repairing the CNIB’s “Talking Book machines” for individuals who have vision loss or are blind, providing accessible trails in national and provincial parks, and mentoring --- one on one --- with a student lacking in positive role models.
The National Pioneers Organization has won several awards including the 1997 Michael Smith award for Science Promotion to Canadian Youth for the following programs: Computers for Schools, Internet Training and the National Student Video Conference. The 1998 Conference Board of Canada National Education Partnerships Award under the Broad Community Collaboration Category for our partnership with Industry Canada and the Canadian education sector to deliver the Computer for Schools Program. And the, Computers For Schools, a partnership with Industry Canada, received the prestigious 1998 Gold award for Innovative Management from the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC). A record 154 entries were submitted to the competition.
