Weekly News Recap: June 4, 2021

Chantal Chagnon drums at a vigil in Calgary for the children of Kamloops Indian Residential School on Tk’emlups te Secwépemc First Nation. Shoes representing the bodies of 215 children found buried at the former school site this week were laid on the steps of city hall. (Terri Trembath/CBC)

There is no concept of justice in Cree culture. The nearest word is kintohpatatin, which loosely translates to "you've been listened to." But kintohpatatin is richer than justice - really it means you've been listened to by someone compassionate and fair, and your needs will be taken seriously. ― Edmund Metatawabin

SEASON 3 OF FUNDRAISING ASK ANYTHING

We are midway through our third season of our popular Fundraising Ask Anything Zoom Chats. Our fourth session on millennial giving took place earlier today. Our final session of this season will take place on June 25, — Guess what has differentiated success from failure during these times? If you said research, you would be right. Prospective donor research, environmental scans, pro-active and reactive prospective donor profiles: all of these activities have THE difference especially during this time of scarcity. Scattershot asking is not on, laser-focused relationship-building is. Join us as we bring together a conversation with leaders in nonprofit research. Winging it is so 2019. Why knowledge is power and with great power comes great gifts.

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SPECIAL PODCAST EPISODE: A TRIBUTE TO SIMONE JOYAUX

On Sunday, May 2nd, 2021, Simone Joyaux, ACFRE passed away suddenly near her home on Rhode Island. With her passing, the fundraising profession lost a leader, a friend, and one of its most important voices. The news of her passing shocked the nonprofit world and the outpouring of our grief and the celebration of her life have been tremendous. We wanted to honour Simone by hosting an impromptu podcast with an open invitation to the fundraising community across the globe to call and share tributes and stories about the irreplaceable Simone Joyaux. If you want to listen in on the tributes, please visit this link.

SOME GOOD NEWS

'It's powerful to be out': Canadian Olympic couple reflects on LGBTQ representation in sport (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #IHeartThis "For decades, athletes from around the world have gathered at the Olympics and Paralympics to compete in the largest sporting event, a celebration of athletic achievement laced with messaging around hope, inspiration and inclusion. But it hasn't always been safe or acceptable to be LGBTQ and to compete. Instead, hiding parts of oneself was part of the game. Take, for instance, the story of Canada's Mark Tewksbury, who won a gold medal in swimming in Barcelona in 1992. It wasn't until six year later that Tewksbury felt comfortable enough to publicly acknowledge he was gay, and then faced repercussions for doing so — for example, he immediately lost a six-figure contract as a motivational speaker."
The California girl who pushed a bear to protect her dogs (BBC) #Wow "Footage shows the moment a teenage girl in California gets the better of a bear fighting with her pets."
Albertan gives away 17 hand-built exact replicas of Prairie grain elevators (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Christine is a fan (so am I) "Einar Franson, 91, has been hand-building exact replicas of Prairie grain elevators since about 2008. Modelled after elevators that existed in Saskatchewan and Alberta, the replicas are crafted to scale — usually at an inch to the foot — and each took about 150 to 200 hours of labour."
Nunavut dog reunites with family after epic journey across ice and tundra (CBC) NUNAVUT STORY Animals are amazing. "Donna Adams wouldn't have guessed that her dog Pepper had it in her. But the 10-year-old German shepherd — typically found lolling about outside Adams's home in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut — floored everybody by making a 70-kilometre journey along the remote Hudson Bay coast on her own, to track down her family in a distant community she'd never been to."
Calgary names 6 parks for notable residents, including homeless man and LGBTQ pioneer (CBC) CALGARY STORY #ILoveCalgary "A homeless man, the city's first chief medical officer of health and a longtime champion of LGBTQ rights in Calgary are among those whose names now adorn city parks."
West Kootenay man summons courage to save skunk with beer can stuck to its head (CBC) NELSON STORY #WhatWouldYouDo #\Hero "To save or not to save a distressed skunk? It was a pretty big question for Michael Jeffery near Nelson, B.C. On Saturday morning, the poor animal was found stumbling on the road with a beer can stuck to its head near Taghum Beach — about eight kilometres west of the Kootenay town — where Jeffery was driving on the way to work."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

More than 800 residential school students died in Alberta — advocates say it's time to find their graves (CBC) CANADIAN STORY I cried while putting this recap together. This is incredibly shameful. Incredibly sad. I am ashamed. I am sad. "When Jackie Bromley heard that the remains of 215 children were found at the site of a former residential school in B.C., she had flashbacks to her time at St. Mary's Residential School on the Blood Reserve in southern Alberta. Bromley, who is now 70, remembers students talking about graves behind the school when she was 10 — but doesn't remember seeing any headstones. 'I thought about the backyard, apparently there were some graves there. And the first thing I thought of was, I wonder if there are some kids that were buried, you know?'"
Pembina offers to buy Inter Pipeline in friendly $8.3B takeover (CBC) CALGARY STORY I am very proud of my wife, the amazing Christine Fraser, who was part of this small but might deal team at Pembine. Congrats to all. "Pembina Pipeline Corp. has signed a friendly deal to buy Inter Pipeline Ltd. for $8.3 billion in stock, surpassing the hostile bid by Brookfield Infrastructure Partners. Under the deal, Inter Pipeline shareholders will receive half a Pembina share for each share of Inter Pipeline that they own."
Edmonton Elks: CFL club announces new name (CBC) EDMONTON STORY They might have 'got it right' but I, as a long time fan, am not...a fan. Of course, anyone who does branding knows this truth and it will pass. Congrats...I guess...to the EE. "Foam antlers are set to become part of the green and gold fan dress code, as Edmonton's CFL team has adopted a new name: the Edmonton Elks. The football club officially announced the Elks name during a news conference [...], following a year-long consultation process involving team partners, fans and even some linguistic experts. Team president and CEO Chris Presson said the club was proud to announce its new name and said he felt confident they had taken the time needed to ensure they 'got it right.'"
Alberta's Whyte Museum to auction off dinners and walks with Bow Valley 'mountain legends' (CBC) BANFF STORY Yes!!! I will be bidding. "Ever wanted to hang out with one of the first women to climb Mount Everest, learn about the Stoney Nakoda First Nation from an elder, or pick the brain of a mountaineer/historian? Those passionate about Alberta's Bow Valley and its history could soon have the chance to bid for one-on-one time with a few 'mountain legends.' The Whyte Museum in Banff is celebrating the 115th birthday of one of its founders, artist Catharine Robb Whyte, with an online auction from June 1 to 13."
Edmonton's K-Days cancelled for second straight year (CBC) EDMONTON STORY Ugh. "K-Days, Edmonton's biggest summer carnival and fair, has been cancelled for a second summer in a row, despite plans to lift public health restrictions in time for the event."
'Rainbow capitalism' is pandering, pure and simple, but it can still help drive social change (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT "Pride Month is celebrated every year in honour of the Stonewall Inn riots that took place in June 1969, as well as the yearly demonstrations that followed in various cities across the U.S. and eventually the world. Pride reminds us of the violence endured, the progress made, and the hardships yet to come. Today – the beginning of Pride Month in Canada – Lego is releasing a 346-piece LGBTQ+ themed set titled Everyone is [Awesome.]"
Council turns the page on Inglewood, Beltline pools saga with $45M Repsol Centre expansion (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY This will be happening across North America. "After years of uncertainty exacerbated by the pandemic, city council made a final decision on the future of the Beltline and Inglewood [pools.] The Beltline pool won’t reopen after COVID-19 restrictions lift, but other fitness and recreation spaces at the facility will be back. The Inglewood pool will open again, but the city will be monitoring whether it can meet financial targets. If it doesn’t, it will be closed, too."
UNBC board chair fired over 'racist and discriminatory comments' (CBC) PRINCE GEORGE STORY #GoodMoveBC "The chair of the board for the University of Northern B.C. has been removed from his position because of 'racist and discriminatory comments,' according to the provincial government. Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training Anne Kang announced Friday evening that she has stripped Aaron Ekman of his title at the Prince George university."
Racism directed at Oilers' Ethan Bear sparks jump in donations to Beckie Scott's Spirit North (CBC) EDMONTON STORY "The racism directed at Edmonton Oilers defenceman Ethan Bear has prompted a jump in donations to an Indigenous sport organization founded by Olympic cross-country ski champion Beckie Scott. Scott, who founded Spirit North over a decade ago, says contributions rose by $10,000 in just one day this past week, with donors stating Bear was the reason."
Embracing econferences: a step toward limiting the negative effects of conference culture (University Affairs) CANADIAN STORY "One of the largest gatherings of scholars in the country will be moving online this year. Thousands of Congress 2021 attendees will not be flying or driving across Canada to the University of Alberta. Instead, they’ll be gathering virtually. It is a reminder of how the traditional conference format has been reimagined in the wake of COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns. Our reliance on in-person gatherings has been dramatically challenged in the past year, as academics (along with much of the world) were forced to isolate. While there have been major hurdles while transitioning to online, there have undoubtedly been benefits. One of those benefits has been the environmental impact."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

These are 8 strict workplace rules Elon Musk makes his Tesla employees follow (Business Insider) I see a lot of sense here.
How An Ordinary Journal Can Help You Reach Extraordinary Life Goals (The Ascent) I need to give the bullet journal another go.
Classically trained B.C. actor shares tips on how to come off cool and confident on Zoom (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT Great tips!
How to Boost Your Self-Compassion With Mirror Meditation (Better Humans) Are you ready to look in your mirror?
The Rudest Productivity Hack, Courtesy of White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki (Indian Thoughts) #StopAnsweringDumbQuestions
3 Binge-Worthy Books for Life-Long Learners (Age of Awareness) Such great tools for better reading as well.
One Man’s Amazing Journey to the Center of the Bowling Ball (Wired) Oh, this is just nerdy cool.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

With $1M donation, biking trails, dog park expansion coming to Bainbridge Island park (Kitsap Sun) I have been to this wonderful place. What an amazing gift. "An anonymous, nearly $1 million donation is funding the purchase of a forested property adjacent to Strawberry Hill Park as a location for new mountain biking trails and an expanded dog park. The nearly 11-acre forested site sits just west of the park, which is managed by the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park District."
Lowe's Canada raises a record amount of $1.2 M for Children's Miracle Network and Opération Enfant Soleil Français (NewsWire) CANADIAN STORY Nice move Lowes! "Lowe's Canada, one of Canada's leading home improvement retailers operating or servicing some 470 corporate and affiliated stores under different banners, is proud to present more than $1.2 million to Children's Miracle Network and Opération Enfant Soleil to support the work of 14 children's hospitals across the country for the fourth consecutive year. To raise this record amount, teams from Lowe's, RONA, and Reno-Depot corporate and participating affiliated stores collected donations at checkout or sold tickets during the spring. Customers also had the possibility to contribute to the campaign on the banners' websites, and Lowe's Canada added to the amount raised with a corporate donation."
Jones Engineering's chairman and his wife donate €30m to Trinity College Dublin (Irish Times) "Jones Engineering's chairman Eric Kinsella and his wife Barbara, have made what is believed to be the largest single philanthropic donation from individuals in the history of the State with a €30 million donation to Trinity College Dublin."

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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Vincent DuckworthMay 27, 2021Comment