Weekly News Recap: December 18, 2020

Weekly News Recap: December 18, 2020

Rozsa Foundation endows resident conductor position at Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Photo: CPO

Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. — Viktor Frankl

Merry Christmas

In a year where most everyone was at least a bit unsettled and, in many cases, upended, we can say this. We made it! And by that I mean, we can see light at the end of this uncertain tunnel. We have a vaccine. Canadians are getting vaccinated. We are about to go through a Christmas like no other but 2021 already looks brighter.

Next Friday's recap will not be sent on Friday, we will publish it, instead, on Christmas Eve. On behalf of everyone at ViTreo, we wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas. We hope you take the time to celebrate what we won, what we have, and what we have found to be the most important. As I have been saying much of the year: stay safe, stay sane.

AFP ICON is ON!

  • AFP ICON—The World’s No. 1 Conference for Fundraising Professionals—Is Back (AFP Global) "So much has changed in the past year. You know what hasn't? The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and AFP ICON is still here to give you all the fundraising training, trends, and meaningful connections you need to make more impact. AFP ICON VIRTUAL will return June 28-30, 2021, no matter what. And we’re planning to safely hold an in-person conference because we know how valuable and powerful that experience can be. Get ready for three unforgettable days, together as one fundraising community." REGISTER here

Job opening

  • Director, Philanthopy & Alumni (Learn4Good) Capilano University is recruiting for a Director of Philanthropy. ViTreo is proud to be working with CapU on its donor recognition planning.

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Rozsa Endowment Announcement (YouTube) CALGARY STORY I heart this story. Just what we needed Mary. Thank you! "Associate Conductor Karl Hirzer isn't feeling the holiday spirit this year. Will a surprise gift from Mary Rozsa de Coquet jolly up his mood? Watch and find out."

  • Metallica / Enter Sandman (Buddhist monk cover) / Kossan (YouTube) Oh my. Wait until 1:08. No really. It's worth it. You're welcome!

  • This Alberta dad sat through 30 hours of tattoo pain so his son would feel better about birthmark (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Dads are awesome. "Eight-year-old Derek Prue was playing with his sisters in a hotel swimming pool earlier this month, when his dad called out to him from the pool's edge. Derek looked at his father and fell back into the water, his eyes wide and a huge smile on his face. His dad, Derek Prue Sr., unveiled a new tattoo, a replica of the birthmark that covers a large part of Derek's torso."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. The Left Wants a Philanthropy of the Few (Wall Street Journal) "It takes a fine sense of irony to start the season of giving by trying to limit Americans’ generosity. Yet that would be the outcome of a high-profile legislative proposal unveiled on Dec. 1, 'Giving Tuesday,' conceived by former hedge-fund manager John Arnold and Boston College law professor Ray Madoff. The proposal would stifle Americans who want to support worthy causes but aren’t superrich. It would also further the goals of progressive politicians who seek to punish charitable giving they don’t like and can’t control."

  2. Search called off for Winnipeg sailor missing from Canadian navy ship, military says (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Our condolences for Duane Earle's shipmates and family. Thank you for your service Master Sailor Earle. RIP. "The search for a master sailor who went missing in the waters west of San Francisco has ended, the Canadian military says. Duane Earle, 47, of Winnipeg is believed to have accidentally fallen overboard HMCS Winnipeg [...] about 925 kilometres off the coast."

  3. Canada will send astronaut around the moon in deal with U.S. (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Cool. A Canuck enroute to the moon. Love it. "The federal government says it has signed an agreement with the United States to send a Canadian astronaut around the moon. The planned trip in 2023 is part of a broader U.S.-led effort to establish a new international space station above the lunar surface to allow for exploration of the moon and future missions to Mars."

  4. Business leader David O’Brien bets on a Canadian charity (National Post) CALGARY STORY ViTreo was privileged to work with CAWST, their CEO Shauna Curry, and David O'Brien. "For some, retirement might mean tee times and jet setting, but Canadian business leader David O’Brien had his sights on something bigger. He wanted to use his business acumen to tackle some of the world’s most challenging issues, and today, says he has 'risen up in the world,' as chairman of the Canadian charity Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST)."

  5. In Memoriam: Geoffrey Massey (Canadian Architect) CANADIAN STORY All of his works stand to a testament to his vision and his life. RIP Mr. Massey. We will not see your like again. "We are saddened to mark the passing of Geoffrey Massey, age 96 [...]. Massey worked in partnership with architect Arthur Erickson from 1963 to 1972. The duo created projects including the Simon Fraser University campus, the MacMillan Bloedel Building, and the University of Lethbridge’s University Hall, along with an initial plan for Robson Square."

  6. 5 years after report, Truth and Reconciliation commissioners say progress is 'moving too slow' (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Ugh. We need to get a move on! "Members of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) say that five years on from the release of the commission's final report, it is more urgent than ever that Canada implement its 94 Calls to Action."

  7. Aviation fan makes petition to rename Edmonton Airport after bush pilot Max Ward (CBC) EDMONTON STORY I think Ward International Airport has a lovely and true ring to it. I hope they do it. "There's a push in Edmonton to pay tribute to the legacy of Canadian aviation pioneer Max Ward, who died at 98 years old in early November."

  8. Stanford scholar addresses the problems with philanthropy (Stanford) Alas, for much of philanthropy, this is true. "Philanthropy can have important effects on society, but it does little to solve the root cause of the problems it is trying to solve, said Stanford scholar Rob Reich."

  9. Massey Hall Will Now Be Part of the Allied Music Centre (Exclaim!) TORONTO STORY And this is how you evolve naming into the future. "The ongoing revitalization of Massey Hall — which includes additional performance spaces and hundreds of restored stained glass windows — will now also bring the iconic venue into the fold of a larger entertainment complex. Today, the Corporation of Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall announced that 125-year-old venue would keep its name under the banner of the Allied Music Centre, a name that now adorns the new seven-storey tower rising up from behind the National Historic Site in artist renderings."

  10. Two-spirit Albertan joins singers across Canada to make new version of Handel's Messiah (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Cool! "A two-spirit singer from Alberta is helping reshape the sound of Handel's Messiah in a new online performance. Alberta baritone Jonathon Adams recorded a new version of Handel's Messiah with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, four choirs and 11 vocalists from across the country. It is presented by Against the Grain Theatre and sung in English, French, Arabic and several First Nation languages. It also features short films of locations across Canada." RELATED: Register to stream Messiah/Complex by Against the Grain Theatre.

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Your product’s biggest competitor may not be what you think (UX Design) I find this whole concept so interesting. Could it be that your most important competitor might be...your own organization's processes?

  2. 2020 in 20 charts (Vox) This is an excellent primer for 2021. I kept the cheery opening paragraph because of how uplifting it was. "2020 was such a terrible, bad, no-good year that even complaining about it got old. A pandemic knocked the world to its knees, killing 1.6 million people so far and leaving untold suffering in its wake. Social distancing kept us inside, away from our friends and loved ones. Businesses shut their doors. Economic inequality grew."

  3. My Therapist Says That’s a Thought, Not a Feeling (elemental+) If you haven't already seen the 'Feeling Wheel' you are in for a treat.

  4. A Better Note-Taking System for Your Scattered Brain (Forge) Minutes, questions, ideas, reactions. Perfect. I do this (we likely all do this) when participating in a meeting.

  5. How to Receive Judgment with Grace (Better Humans) So. Hard. To. Do. But, I am alway willing to learn

  6. How They Made a Vaccine So Fast (Lifehacker) Humankind can be incredibly innovative when faced with the death of millions and given access to unprecedented technology. I wonder if we can apply this speed to other 'intractable' problems?

  7. 16 Uncomfortable Acts People Try to Avoid, But That Actually Make Your Life Better (P.S. I Love You) #5 is brilliant and we can all use a lot more of #7 and #10.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Former Google CEO Endows Indigenous Studies Professorship at Princeton (Inside Hook) More please. "In recent years, there’s been a growing movement to raise the profile of Indigenous Studies at institutes of higher learning. The University of Miami is taking steps towards establishing an Indigenous Studies program, to cite one example. And Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy recently used his platform to raise the profile of the University of Alberta’s Indigenous Studies program."

  2. Mackenzie Scott donates over $4 bln toward relief funds, food banks (National Post) "“The result over the last four months has been $4,158,500,000 in gifts to 384 organizations across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington D.C. Some are filling basic needs: food banks, emergency relief funds, and support services for those most [vulnerable]." So many gifts. This past week, Ms. Scott made news with with a fresh tranche of giving: Two Texas universities that serve students of color receive multimillion-dollar donations from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, Winston-Salem State receives $30 million donation from MacKenzie Scott; largest-ever gift from a single donor, WKCTC announces $15M donation from philanthropist, YMCA Receives Major Donation from MacKenzie Scott, N.C. A&T receives $45 million donation, the largest in university history, United Way to receive $20 million donation, West Kentucky Community and Technical College receives multi-million dollar donation, Local United Way gets $10M donation from Amazon fortune, Two CUNY Schools Get $60 Million Donation From MacKenzie Scott.

  3. Waterloo, Ont. software giant OpenText gives $1.27M to world food banks (CBC) WATERLOO STORY "Software maker OpenText has announced a $1.27 million donation to food banks in communities around the world where the company has offices."

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 partner Vincent Duckworth. If you would like to submit a link for consideration, please send an email to info@vitreogroup.ca

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