Weekly News Recap: December 20, 2019

Weekly News Recap: December 20, 2019

A retired farming couple from Didsbury has gifted land to the Olds College Smart Farm.

Trust none of what you hear, some of what you read, and half of what you see. — Nassim Taleb

On behalf of the entire ViTreo team, we wish you and yours a holiday season filled with family, friends, laughter, and love. And to all of our loyal recap readers, a special thanks from our editor, Katia Asomaning, and your curator, me. Thank you for keeping us in your inbox. We appreciate it!

This week's highlights

Braintrust Philanthropy Podcast

  • PODCAST: Global Disruption in Philanthropy - What to Expect in 2020 (ViTreo Group) "In this episode, we spoke with Mike Geiger, President and CEO of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP); Paula Attfield, President of Stephen Thomas; Roger Ali, President and CEO of Niagara Health Foundation; and Scott Decksheimer, President and CEO of ViTreo Group." December 2019

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Christmas Miracle

  • To give or to receive - it’s up to you (Westjet) CANADIAN STORY Another great holiday experience from WestJet. Grab some tissue. "This holiday season, WestJet is asking the question: would you give or receive? Instead of WestJet deciding who gets what, who goes where, or who gets reunited with whom, we left the decision making to our guests. The choice is up to you!" December 2019

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Fundraising Allegory

  • Bald eagle vs. octopus: ‘Once in a lifetime’ fight caught on video in B.C. (Global News) CANADIAN STORY I can't help but see the allegory here. While it is applicable to a host of situations, how it could apply to fundraising is especially poignant. When you think that your fundraising is going to be easy or that the "big" donor is just sitting there ready to be convinced that your cause is the best...you might be in for a surprise. "The eagle appeared to have 'bitten off more than it could chew when it tried to catch an [octopus].'" 12/12/19

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News

  • North America's first indoor triathlon centre on track after Edmonton council vote (CBC) EDMONTON STORY This is awesome! Only a wee bit jelly in Calgary. "The centre will have a 250-metre indoor cycling track, a 400-metre running track and will be connected to the existing swimming pool in the Peter Hemingway Fitness and Leisure Centre, at 138th Street and 111th Avenue." 12/16/19

  • RBC donation backs Enactus Lambton projects (The Observer) SARNIA STORY Nice work RBC. "A $100,000 donation from RBC will help an award-winning student group at Lambton College offer programs at local schools and First Nations across Canada. The gift [...] will support One Future and One Circle programs run by Enactus Lambton – a 29-member team with the international entrepreneurship-with-a-conscience organization." Lambton College is a publicly funded college in Sarnia, Ontario 12/16/19

  • CONTEMPORARY CALGARY TO PRESENT MAJOR YOKO ONO EXHIBITION AND MORE TO CALGARY FOR THE INAUGURAL SEASON AT THE CENTENNIAL PLANETARIUM (Contemporary Calgary) CALGARY STORY "Contemporary Calgary announced its inaugural programming for 2020 today, including Planetary; an exhibition featuring more than 36 Calgary-based artists; UK-based Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon; Yoko Ono’s GROWING FREEDOM: The instructions of Yoko Ono and The art of John and Yoko; Dakar and Geneva-based Omar Ba’s Same Dream; and Everywhere We Are, an ambitious exhibition and public program series addressing art collecting and its many challenges featuring many of Canada’s most celebrated artists." 12/16/19

  • Scientists Managed to Measure a Pulsar Star (Henri Le Chat Noir) EDMONTON STORY Nerd alert! "Researchers have managed to do the first precise measurement of a pulsar, the dense remains of an exploded star. They collaborated with scientists from the University of Alberta." 12/15/19

  • Opening of revamped Stanley A. Milner library to be delayed (Edmonton Journal) EDMONTON STORY "An $84.5-million overhaul of the Stanley A. Milner Library won’t be completed on time, Edmonton Public Library announced [recently]. The flagship facility was set to reopen Feb. 14, 2020. But bookworms will now have to make other Valentine’s Day plans, as the library needs extra time to complete the renovation, CEO Pilar Martinez said." 12/15/19

  • Lethbridge will soon feature Canada's largest scale model of the solar system (CBC) LETHBRIDGE STORY I love this! Go Lethbridge! "Lethbridge will soon feature Canada's largest scale model of the solar system. The Lethbridge Astronomy Society came up with the idea, and city council approved the project this week. Tom Anderson, president of the society, told the Calgary Homestretch that the dome will act as the imaginary sun and the centre of the system. A few blocks down the street, there will be a pedestal with a scale model of Mercury — at three quarters of an inch in diameter, it will be in scale with the diameter of the sun." 12/14/19

  • Real vs. artificial: Which type of Christmas tree is worse for the environment? (CBC) CANADIAN STORY I am putting up a picture of a tree this year. "'A live-cut tree has less impact than an artificial one,' Sierra Club spokesperson Tim Pearson told Gloria Macarenko, host of On The Coast. But he warns that the environmental impact of a real tree — although less than that of an artificial one — still exists." 12/14/19

  • $15M taken from U of A reserves to cover operating shortfall (CTV News) EDMONTON STORY "The University of Alberta is dipping into its reserves after the provincial budget left it approximately $79 million short for 2019-20. Administration confirmed its board of governors approved [...] a one-time transfer of $15 million to the academic year’s operating budget. According to an annual report published in March, the reserve account held about $55 million and was created to protect the school’s operations from the volatility of financial markets." 12/13/19

  • ‘Beyond Milestone’: new AI system thrashes humans at poker (Livingston Ledger) EDMONTON STORY Machines that can play poker at this level can also help us solve some of the most intractable issues in medicine. "An artificial intelligence system called DeepStack made history by consistently defeating professional poker players, with the achievement being labeled a 'milestone.' Although the games were played in December 2016, the results of the research by University of Alberta‘s Computer Poker Research Group have just been published by . Unlike chess and checkers (games with ‘perfect information’) in which AI has shown its prowess for some time now, poker, a game with ‘imperfect information,’ was a tough nut to crack for AI. 12/13/19

  • VIDEO: Memorial University names first female president in 94-year history (Saltwire) ST. JOHN'S STORY Woot! Congrats Dr. Timmons! Congrats MUN! "Memorial University made a historic choice in selecting its 13th president and vice-chancellor — Vianne Timmons, who has held the same position for the last 11 years at the University of Regina, was announced [...] as the successor to current president Gary Kachanoski [...]. With [this] announcement, made at the school's Signal Hill Campus, Timmons becomes the first woman to be named a president at Memorial in its 94-year history." 12/12/19

  • Pet medical neglect cases on the rise in economically ailing Calgary (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY We need to help these folks. "The Calgary Humane Society has seen a steady rise in medical neglect cases over the past five years and says the biggest reason is owners not being able to afford proper care." 12/12/19

  • Prostate Cancer Canada and the Canadian Cancer Society Agree to Amalgamate (Newswire.ca) CANADIAN STORY Boom! Nice work everybody. Merging is hard. But you did it anyway. "Prostate Cancer Canada and the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) are excited to announce their intention to embark upon a strategic amalgamation that will strengthen and support cancer research, education and the needs of Canadians and their families dealing with the disease. As part of the agreement, Prostate Cancer Canada's activities and initiatives will remain an important part of the Canadian Cancer Society." 12/12/19

  • GPRC’s new President and CEO wants to put the school on the map (EverythingGP) GRANDE PRAIRIE STORY "Dr. Robert Murray took on the role on [...] December 2nd, and is already working on making GPRC a centre for post secondary excellence. Murray’s first project to improve the school is to become a degree granting institution, an initiative started by his predecessor. However, Murray says the process of earning the status is complex and they are still in the early stages. He says they want to make sure they go about this in a way that doesn’t just produce degrees, but respected, good degrees, that meet the needs of the community, the students, and the labour force." 12/11/19

  • Boss surprises employees with $10 million bonus at holiday party (GMA) Wow. I love this! "Employees at a Baltimore-based commercial real estate firm had the holiday office party that dreams are made of. Their boss, Edward St. John, founder of St. John Properties, surprised the company's 198 employees with a $10 million bonus during their [...] holiday party." 12/10/19

  • CBC's Open House and Food Bank Day raises record $1,021,618 for those in need (CBC) VANCOUVER STORY "CBC Vancouver's annual Open House and Food Bank Day has been raising money for those in need for three decades. [Total] donations surpassed $10 million. It was the 33rd year the event has been held. $1,021,618 [has] had been raised — beating last year's record of $823,191." 12/6/19

  • New ambulances in Alberta safer thanks to UCalgary research collaboration (W21C) CALGARY STORY Nice work UofC! "New ambulances in Alberta are safer than ever for patients and paramedics thanks to a joint study evaluating how paramedics work inside an ambulance during patient transport. The research was a collaboration between members from the O’Brien Institute for Public Health’s W21C Research and Innovation Centre at the University of Calgary, Alberta Health Services (AHS) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Results of the study led to significant improvements to the rear patient compartment of Alberta ambulances." 12/3/19

  • The Falcon Lake UFO Files (UManitoba) WINNIPEG STORY You can't make this stuff up. Too great to not include in the recap :-) "On May 20, 1967, something happened in the wilderness around Falcon Lake, Manitoba, that has never been adequately explained. Stefan Michalak, an amateur geologist who liked to prospect in the wilderness around Falcon Lake, said he had been examining a quartz vein about noon that day when he was startled by geese suddenly agitated by something nearby. He said he looked up to see two saucer-shaped flying objects overhead, one of which descended and appeared to land about 45 metres away. He spent the next half-hour sketching the object then got brave enough to walk towards it. However, the object took off suddenly with a blast of hot gas, burning Michalak in the process. Later, radioactive debris was found at the site by military and RCMP investigators. Neither the RCMP nor the Canadian Forces were able to explain the event [...]. This unique and intriguing historical collection will greatly add to our understanding of the study of UFOs, and will attract students and researchers to study these phenomena for a whole range of reasons,' says Shelley Sweeney, head, Archives & Special Collections." 10/31/19

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First Peoples of Canada

  • Why some First Nations are gaining ground while others are losing (Globe and Mail) CANADIAN STORY This is an excellent and incisive article. "Earlier this year the Canadian government released new Community Well-Being (CWB) index numbers based on the 2016 census. It measured a combination of income, employment, housing and education. One piece of good news for First Nations is that their average CWB has continued to increase. Less encouraging, however, is that the gap between First Nations and other Canadian communities, after seeming to narrow a little in the 1990s, widened again and was as great in 2016 as it was in 1981. Least encouraging is that, while some First Nations made rapid cumulative progress from 2001 to 2016, almost 20 per cent of First Nations actually lost ground in that 15-year period." 12/18/19

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Seven life and career hacks -- one for each day of the week

  1. Your Waist Size Matters, Not Your BMI: Flatten Your Belly, Stay Healthy (TheHealthSite.com) I have always suspected that BMI was not a great health metric. Now we have evidence. "The size of your waist is a much more accurate indicator of health than your weight, say researchers from the University of Alberta." 12/18/19

  2. 3 Stories to Make the World Small (Self) Doing things to keep your world orderly is not about neatness...it's about completing what you started. 12/17/19

  3. The Christmas card conundrum: Tips for giving, receiving and abandoning the tradition (CBC) A wee bit late for this year but some food for thought for next year. "For some holiday-minded people, taking the time for handwritten Christmas cards can be a joyous thing — but for others, giving, receiving or even abandoning the tradition can be fraught with uncertainty." 12/16/19

  4. The Best Career Advice I’ve Ever Heard (Wake-Up Call) Say yes. And figure it out later. Good advice. 12/2/19

  5. Lessons from the Alchemist Book That Has Become a Cult Classic (The Ascent) I adore this book. I just might get it for my sons this Christmas. 10/31/19

  6. If You’re Bored With Your Routines, Keep Things Interesting by Altering Your Behaviour Often (The Startup) Habits and routines can make you more productive and efficient. They can also sap your energy and your will to do better. Don't make them precious. 10/25/19

  7. How to be More Intelligent: Use These 5 Brain-Boosting Techniques (PubLishous) Are you ready to play the long game of life? 10/9/19

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Uncommon knowledge

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Opinion

  • Alberta had a world-renowned research foundation — reviving it would raise Canada’s profile (The Conversation) ALBERTA STORY I could not agree more. "The demise of Canada’s stature in discovery research — especially in life and health sciences — has been well-documented. Two separate detailed reports were commissioned by two different federal governments. Both reports were put together by medical researcher David Naylor, the former president of the University of Toronto." 12/16/19

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Philanthropic personalities

  • Mysterious Bitcoin Fund Completes $75M Donation to Preserve Privacy (NewsBTC) Veddy mysterious...(but cool too!). "The Unknown Fund claims to have now donated a total of $75 million to groups and companies working on privacy preserving technology. The Anonymous-promoted Bitcoin fund was first detailed in mid-November. The origins of the funds are largely unknown and, of course, the beneficiaries of the donations are also keeping quiet. The secrecy has understandably created scepticism amongst observers." 12/11/19zsw3

  • The Gospel of Wealth According to Marc Benioff (Wired) Marc Benioff calmly eviscerated the founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey...and Twitter joined him. "'Hi Jack. Thanks for the feedback. Which homeless programs in our city are you supporting? Can you tell me what Twitter and Square & you are in for & at what financial levels? How much have you given to heading home our $37M initiative to get every homeless child off the streets?'" 12/11/19

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Philanthropic controversy

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Trends and shifts

  • Lines are blurring between education, employment and retirement (The Owl) CANADIAN STORY Very interesting look at modern life. "An interesting way to consider how our working lives change over time is to look at three distinct periods in a typical person’s life: education, employment and retirement." 12/17/19

  • How charity apps may be making us more generous (BBC) "According to the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) Charity Landscape 2019, 87% of charity chief executives now see investing in technology as a key priority. 'Voluntary donations are an important source of revenue for the charitable sector as a whole,' says Rhodri Davies, head of policy at CAF. 'Technology is changing where people are giving, with more people using online platforms to support causes.'" Thanks to Jane Potentier for sharing this article with us. 12/17/19

  • New data shows opioid crisis not going away soon (RCInet) CANADIAN STORY :-( "Canada’s opioid crisis continues unabated despite a pledge by the federal government […] to spend more money to find ways to try reduce the problem. New Public Health Agency statistics released [recently] show that nearly 14,000 people have been killed by opioids in Canada over the past three-and-a-half years. The statistics–tallied through this past June–compare with a similar agency report in April that found that about 10,300 Canadians had died from opioids through Sept. 2018." 12/16/19

  • Housing charities and food banks report spike in donations after Tory win (The Guardian) "Charities helping the most vulnerable in society have reported an increase in support after the Conservative victory in the general election. Shelter, Refuge, the Trussell Trust and the Biscuit Fund have all confirmed they have seen a sharp increase in donations and/or registered supporters as a result of the election outcome." Thanks to Ron Bailey for sharing this article. 12/14/19

  • Can ‘venture philanthropy’ help to solve vital social issues? (Silicon Republic) "To date, the Social Innovation Fund has funded 116 projects, the majority of which were funded in the last two years. It raises philanthropy by approaching individuals, couples, large multinationals and SMEs." 12/13/19

  • Animal charity offers video rewards via contactless donation tech (Charity Digital News) Brilliant. And way less transactional. "Animal charity Blue Cross is offering video rewards to those donating via its contactless devices this Christmas. The animal charity is deploying portable contactless devices across its centres, at fundraising events as well as sites run by commercial partners, including Pets at Home. The devices include a screen that allows a video promoting the charity to be shown. Those donating receive a ‘video reward’ showing a cat or dog as a way of thanking donors." 12/12/19

  • Is a President's Job Harder Than It Used to Be? (Inside Higher Ed) It has. For shizzle. "[The] list of qualifications and attributes that drives most presidential searches keeps getting rearranged. Financial savvy, political skills and fundraising experience are now at the top of the list. Ethical and intellectual leadership still get perfunctory mention in job descriptions, but not necessarily in presidential employment contracts. The rearrangement of priorities in pursuit of maximizing resources and managing efficiently has had consequences, some intended and some not." 12/11/19

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Reports and studies

  • Women don't call their research 'novel' or 'excellent' as often as men do (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT Ugh. This is not cool! "Is that scientific research 'excellent,' 'novel,' 'promising' or 'unique'? Men are more likely than women to describe their research with those words, according to a new study. And that could be holding women back in science — papers using positive adjectives such as those to describe the importance of their findings are cited more often by other scientists, implying more scientific influence and success, reports the study published this week in the journal BMJ." 12/17/19

  • You did what with my donation? When donors feel betrayed by charities (EurekaAlert) Shocked I am. "When people learn that a charitable contribution they earmarked for a specific project was used for another cause, they feel betrayed - and often punish the charity, new research from Washington State University indicates. Those donors were less likely to give money to the charity in the future or do volunteer work for the organization. They also were more likely to say negative things about the charity, according to the research published in the January 2020 issue of the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research and available online." 12/13/19

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Large gifts

  • WWU receives $10 million donation for new building (KGMI) Pretty great week for Washington State! "The gift from Fred Kaiser and Grace Borsari will support a campaign to raise $20-million for a new science building that will house electrical engineering, computer science and energy science programs." Western Washington University is a public university in Bellingham, Washington. 12/17/19

  • £2.5million donation to University of Manchester boosts region’s FinTech credentials (Manchester) "The University of Manchester has received a £2.5million donation to boost the region’s capacity and capability in Financial Technology (FinTech). The donation was made by Greensill, a leading British FinTech company founded by Lex [Greensill]." 12/17/19

  • South Coast Repertory Receives $5-Million Argyros Donation (Voice of the OC) "Julianne Argyros announced a $5 million gift to South Coast Repertory [...]. Argyros, the wife of noted Orange County philanthropist George Argyros, made the announcement during the curtain call of the matinee performance of 'A Christmas Carol' on the theater’s Segerstrom Stage." South Coast Repertory is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California. 12/15/19

  • Midland couple donates $10 million to TCU for students from middle-income families (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) A lovely gift aimed at ensuring access to education. "A Midland couple donated $10 million to Texas Christian University to create a scholarship fund for students from middle-income families. The donation from Brenda and Mike Harrison established a scholarship program that will provide permanent need- and merit-based financial aid to students from middle-income families, according to a press release from the university." 12/14/19

  • Eastern Michigan University receives $8 million donation for state-of-the-art golf facility (Click On Detroit) Nice alumni gift! "The Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents approved the construction of an $8 million golf facility. University officials say the facility is being funded by a gift from GameAbove, an EMU alumni organization." 12/13/19

  • Tacoma colleges will benefit from $10 million surprise donation from late centenarian (The News Tribune) Wow. I love estate gifts like this. "Colleges across Western Washington, including four in Pierce County, will benefit from a $10 million donation from a late 101-year-old woman. Eva Gordon, a Seattle resident who passed away in June 2018, left the donation to 17 colleges. 'The gift is one of the largest to community and technical colleges in Washington state, with each college foundation receiving approximately $550,000,' "12/13/19

  • URI set to receive $15 million donation (The Independent) Hey this donor is not playing around. Sorry, could not resist. What a great gift. "Former Hasbro CEO Alfred J. Verrecchia and his wife Geraldine have made a $15 million donation to the University of Rhode Island for the school’s College of Business." 12/13/19

  • Unexpected financial windfall for two Toronto schools is just what the doctor ordered (Globe and Mail) TORONTO STORY Um...yes, well worth your while. :-) "When the mountain of unexpected paperwork landed on his desk, Toronto high-school principal Kenn Harvey cast a leery eye and called the bank in Kansas City with one question: 'Is this worth my while?' His school, Riverdale Collegiate Institute in the city’s east end, was a beneficiary in a former student’s will. As Mr. Harvey soon learned, it was indeed worth his while." 12/13/19

  • Outdated Lincoln Park Zoo lion house to be modernized and renamed after $15 million donation (Chicago Tribune) "With vastly improved space for the big cats, the facility will be renamed Pepper Family Wildlife Center, in honor of donors Richard and Roxelyn Pepper. The renovation will include a zipline to make food delivery more interesting to the lions, better holding spaces to facilitate breeding, and new indoor space to host human social events." 12/12/19

  • Krispy Kreme, Panera Bread owner to give $5M to Holocaust survivors over family's Nazi ties (NBC) I call this taking responsibility. Nice move Reimann Family. "The family who owns Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Panera Bread is donating $5.5 million to Holocaust survivors after learning that their ancestors supported the Nazi regime and used Russian civilians and French war prisoners as forced laborers to work in their factory." 12/12/19

  • Didsbury Couple Makes Big Donation To Olds College Smart Farm (Discover Airdrie) OLDS STORY Love this gift. At today's prices, this gift is easily valued at over $1 million. Nice work everybody. And thank you to the Stecklers. "The College says George and Marge Steckler have committed a future estate gift with 320 acres of farmland. It says the gift also includes an endowment fund for bursaries earmarked for students in the college's agriculture programs." 12/11/19

  • 'Money's not worth anything unless you spend it': Joseph Remai makes largest single donation to Sask. Polytechnic with $5M gift (Saskatoon StarPhoenix) SASKATOON STORY Wowzers! What a great gift from a great family! "Joseph Remai has been in the construction business since he was 15 years old, when his older brother John paid him 90 cents per hour. After six decades in the industry, he’s investing in its future with a $5 million gift to Saskatchewan Polytechnic. The donation is the largest in the school’s history." 12/11/19

  • Winnipeg Foundation donates $1M for health research grants at U of M (CBC) WINNIPEG STORY Nice work Winnipeg Foundation "The Winnipeg Foundation has donated $1 million to support health sciences research at the University of Manitoba. The funding [...] will help the university establish seed funding grants at the U of M's Rady Faculty of Health Sciences for interdisciplinary research projects." 12/10/19

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