TELUS used the backdrop of National Philanthropy Day to hand out nearly $200,000 to community groups yesterday.

The TELUS Victoria Community Board, put together by TELUS earlier this year with a mandate to give away $250,000 annually to worthy causes, handed out $192,900 to 23 local organizations, with a promise of another $60,000 before the end of this year.

"We will be meeting Dec. 4 to look at the next round of applications, and having seen some of the applications, $60,000 will not be difficult to give away," said Mel Cooper, chairman of the board.

Cooper said the board is interested in grassroots organizations that don't have dedicated fundraising departments. "We're looking for organizations where our $5,000 or $10,000 makes a huge difference."

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