Montreal, Apr. 28, 2010 – The Montreal Alouettes, in partnership with TELUS, announced Wednesday that they have become the first sports team to collaborate with Upopolis, a secure online social network for Montreal’s hospitalized children. This initiative will make it possible for children of the CHU Sainte-Justine to receive messages of encouragement from their favourite players while giving them access to information, pictures and videos.
“Thanks to TELUS, the Alouettes have a golden opportunity to put smiles back on the faces of children hospitalized at the CHU Sainte-Justine,” said Larry Smith, president and CEO of the Alouettes and a member of the TELUS Montreal Community Board. “Sick children often spend a lot of time at the hospital. Being in contact with their favourite football players may help them get through such difficult times.”
Upopolis was created by the Kids’ Health Links Foundation and is powered by TELUS. It provides the best social networking services to young patients who often feel isolated when hospitalized. In addition to having access to an exclusive and regularly updated Alouettes page, children of the CHU Sainte-Justine will be able to set up personal profiles, create blogs, chat and play games.
“Upopolis allows us to use technology for the benefit of children. Not only can young hospital patients stay connected and entertained, they can now keep track of the latest news on their sports idols,” said François Côté, president of TELUS Québec and TELUS Health Solutions. “We are deeply grateful to the Alouettes for their support of children in hospital. We hope this partnership between a sports team and Upopolis is the first of many to come.”
The Alouettes and TELUS have been partners for many years. Through this partnership, TELUS has given hundreds of children the opportunity to see their favourite players in action at home games over the past nine years. In addition, for the past six years, TELUS has sponsored nearly 40 kids to attend the Junior Alouettes Football Camps by covering the costs of registration and equipment rental.
