Weekly News Recap: May 21, 2021

Weekly News Recap: May 21, 2021

The event will be much more spread out, according to the Calgary Stampede. (John Gibson/CBC)

You may write me down in history; With your bitter, twisted lies; You may tread me in the very dirt; But still, like dust, I'll rise. -- Maya Angelou

SEASON 3 OF FUNDRAISING ASK ANYTHING

We are midway through our third season of our popular Fundraising Ask Anything Zoom Chats. Our third session on partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions took place earlier today. Our next session will take place on June 4: Millennials are the next great donors they say. The next generation is just waiting to give, they say. We need to find a way to get iGen to give, you say. Lots of talk. Very trending. But, are we actually doing anything remotely close to winning the hearts and minds of these up-and-coming donors? Join us as we hear from a group of millennial donors about what they care about and why they give. Umm, HELLO! We are right here. Why the next generation is poised to give, if only we would listen?

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SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Cat jumps from fifth-floor of burning Chicago building, bounces once and runs away (Guardian) #NineLives #Truly "Chicago Fire Department personnel were taking a video of the exterior of the building as firefighters were extinguishing the blaze when a black cat appeared through billowing smoke at a broken window. The feline briefly tested the side of the building with its front paws, and then jumped. Onlookers gasped as the cat fell. But it missed a wall and instead landed on all four paws on a patch of grass, bounced once and ran away."

  • During The Pandemic She Whittled Away At The Isolation By, Well, Whittling (NPR) #Meta "The coronavirus pandemic has challenged all of us in big and small ways, but one of the toughest parts has been the isolation. Many people found creative ways to cope as they wear masks, work from home, or are alone more than usual. One 87-year-old Kentucky woman spent the time whittling."

  • Neural implant lets paralyzed person type by imagining writing (ars Technica) This is incredible! "This week, the academic community provided a rather impressive example of the promise of neural implants. Using an implant, a paralyzed individual managed to type out roughly 90 characters per minute simply by imagining that he was writing those characters out by hand."

  • Desperate for workers, US restaurants and stores raise pay (AP News) Nice and #AboutTime "U.S. restaurants and stores are rapidly raising pay in an urgent effort to attract more applicants and keep up with a flood of customers as the pandemic eases. McDonald’s, Sheetz and Chipotle are just some of the latest companies to follow Amazon, Walmart and Costco in boosting wages, in some cases to $15 an hour or higher."

  • Check out these un-bear-ably cute pictures of a mama bear and her cubs (CBC) ALBERTA STORY #WeLiveInABeautifulWorld "It's not every day we get to see some close up shots of a mama bear and her cubs playing in the Rocky Mountains. Photographer Simone Heinrich sent in a variety of photos that really capture just how playful these little guys are. Heinrich says all photos were all taken in Jasper and Banff National Park from the safety of his car with a telephoto lens."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. Stampede 2021 a go, says organization (CBC) CALGARY STORY #YeeHaw (I hope) "The 'Great Outdoor Show on Earth' didn't happen last year, but Calgary Stampede organizers say it'll be back this year, and unlike any others previous. Whether that includes a midway, rodeo or grandstand show is still being determined. 'The Safest and Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth is what we're going to call it this year,' Kristina Barnes, communication manager with the Calgary Stampede, said [...] on the Calgary Eyeopener."

  2. Beloved child health champion recognized for lifetime of impact (Alberta Children's Hospital) CALGARY STORY I am immensely proud to see Charlie be so recognized. Congrats to his family and to his memory. "Thanks to his vision, leadership and generosity, Charlie Fischer quite literally changed the landscape of child health and wellness in Alberta. Charlie, a successful businessman, community leader and tireless friend to the Alberta Children's Hospital who passed away in 2020, was honoured posthumously by the Calgary and Area Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) with the 2020 Generosity of Spirit Outstanding Philanthropist: Lifetime Achievement Award, announced on May 18."

  3. Lakeland College says “Leading. Learning. The Lakeland Campaign” most successful in College’s History (MyLloydmisterNow) LLOYDMINSTER STORY ViTreo is proud to have helped Lakeland College with this important campaign. Congrats to all. Well done! "Lakeland College says a fundraising campaign 'Leading. Learning. The Lakeland Campaign.' is shaping up to be the largest in their history. The school announced that the initiative, begun in 2016, saw donors give over $12 million already. This was through 1,096 donors giving 2,967 gifts, as of the end of April. The fundraiser set out to bring in money for three goals, expanding student success, empowering the next leaders in agriculture, and growing results-oriented research."

  4. Canada's only First Nations pharmacy professor leaving University of Saskatchewan over racism concerns (CBC) SASKATOON STORY This has to stop. We are losing the best and the brightest. "Canada's only First Nations pharmacy professor is leaving the University of Saskatchewan, the latest in a string of resignations by Indigenous faculty. 'I'm incredibly sad, disappointed. I feel like there's a big hole,' said Jaris Swidrovich, a member of the Yellow Quill First Nation in central Saskatchewan. Swidrovich said he faced personal racism during his six years at the U of S, as well as systemic racism that isn't being addressed."

  5. Several summer camps cancelled again as Alberta's COVID-19 battle continues (CBC) ALBERTA STORY #SafetyFirst but sad. "Several organizations that run summer camps for kids in southern Alberta are cancelling this year's overnight offerings as the province continues to grapple with the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. YMCA Calgary is cancelling its overnight camping at Camp Chief Hector in Kananaskis Country west of the [city.]"

  6. Poster family for Habitat for Humanity says deal for promised home feels like 'bait and switch' (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY "Two low-income families are suing Habitat for Humanity of Greater Vancouver for allegedly breaching oral contracts promising them a path to home ownership. Two couples named in the civil lawsuit say they signed papers and started paying an interest-free mortgage issued by the non-profit group, but now fear they may never actually own the properties they live in. They have no documents outlining the terms of the original deals. One family was shocked to learn after six years that the home they thought they were purchasing for $255,000 will now cost more than double that price."

  7. BMO gift establishes 'energy transition' professorship at U of C (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY Congrats to all. "A $500,000 gift from BMO has allowed the University of Calgary to establish a new professorship in energy transition and finance. The BMO Professorship in Sustainable and Transition Finance, which will be established at the Haskayne School of Business, was announced Thursday."

  8. Lougheed House fundraising to maintain historic gardens (CBC) CALGARY STORY I will give. This is a beautiful and important site. "The Lougheed House is trying to raise thousands of dollars so visitors can continue to enjoy their lush gardens. The Calgary historic site says its grounds have become more popular during the pandemic, but its revenues have been declining. Every year volunteers plant 5,000 flowers throughout the nearly three-acre property with the goal of maintaining the original Victorian gardens."

  9. Tokyo medical body pleads with Games organizers to cancel Olympics (CBC) #Ugh "The International Olympic Committee and Tokyo Olympic organizers start three days of virtual meetings Wednesday and will run into some of the strongest medical-community opposition so far with the games set to open in just over eight weeks. The meetings are headed by IOC Vice-President John Coates, who will attempt to again assure the Japanese population that the games will be 'safe and secure.' Much of Japan, including Tokyo and Osaka, is under a state of emergency, which forced IOC President Thomas Bach to cancel a trip to Japan this month. Only about 1-2 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, and opposition to the Olympics is running at 60-80 per cent in numerous polls."

  10. Alberta's reversal to allow drive-in movies relieves venues (CBC) HIGH RIVER STORY #NiceMoveAB "Alberta has reversed its decision to ban drive-in movies temporarily due to COVID-19 safety concerns after venues across the province argued it could be done safely, and at least one said it would reopen regardless of provincial restrictions. Late last week, Alberta Health Services temporarily cancelled drive-in movies in areas with high active COVID-19 case counts across the province, because of fears of the coronavirus spreading through people mingling outside their vehicles."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Now Is the Time for Low-Stakes Hobbies (Forge) I am pretty sure this is part of my problem with learning guitar -- I should just not care about how bad I play.

  2. My Ten Rules for Work-Life Balance (Better Humans) Honestly, this writer clearly has no balance but...they do have sanity. I am seriously moving towards no meeting Wednesdays.

  3. What Makes a Bad Grant? It’s Time to Change How We Decide (Inside Philanthropy) We need more 'good' grants. Excellent article.

  4. 6 Banned Books You Should Be Reading (Books Are Our Superpower) I have read a few of these. This is a great concept for a list.

  5. The 52 Best Websites to Learn Something New Every Day (Hazel Clementine) So.Much.To.Learn.

  6. The “No Zero Days” Productivity Mindset Might Change Your Life (Publishous) I love this. Head's up, pretty serious language warning.

  7. Top tips for fundraising beyond lockdown – from the experts (UK Fundraising) So many great tips. My favourite: The rise of the Qcode #Finally.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Irene and Les Dube aim to be 'good stewards' with $6M annual endowment for Saskatoon charities (CTV) SASKATOON STORY Lovely gift. Lovely donors. "Saskatoon philanthropists Irene and Leslie Dubé are creating a $6 million endowment designated for six charitable organizations. “We’re trying to be good stewards. We’d like to leave the world a little better than when we came in,” Irene said in a Saskatoon Community Foundation news release."

  2. Methodist College Belfast celebrates £13.5m donation from former pupil (BelfastLive) "Belfast's Methodist College said it had been the "largest single donation" in its 150 year history from Richard Henry (Prescott) Kerr, who passed away in January 2019."

  3. UCSF Health receives $60M donation for new psychiatric building (Becker's Hospital CFO Report) "UCSF Health received a $60 million donation from Hyatt heir John Pritzker and his former wife Lisa Stone Pritzker to build a new 150,000-square-foot psychiatric [building.]"

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

Welcome to our recap of the week's news, articles, and information of note. ViTreo Group Inc. provides this information for the benefit of our clients, associates, staff, partners, and stakeholders. The content is collected and curated by ViTreo President & CEO Vincent Duckworth. If you would like to submit a link for consideration, please send an email to info@vitreogroup.ca.

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