Weekly News Recap: December 24, 2020

Weekly News Recap: December 24, 2020

MacKenzie Scott in 2018. Her fortune comes from shares of Amazon that she got after her divorce last year from Jeff Bezos, the company’s founder. Credit...Getty Images

Choosing to be curious is choosing to be vulnerable because it requires us to surrender to uncertainty. It wasn’t always a choice; we were born curious. But over time, we learn that curiosity, like vulnerability, can lead to hurt. As a result, we turn to self-protecting—choosing certainty over curiosity, armor over vulnerability, and knowing over learning. -- Brené Brown

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

We usually send out our weekly recap on Friday but this year,that's Christmas Day so we are sending it a day early. Happy Christmas Eve! We know many of you may not be able to be with your family due to current health orders. We hope you take the time to celebrate anyways. On behalf of all of us at ViTreo, we wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and we hope you have a restful holiday break. We will send one last recap next week. Then we are finished with 2020 and onward to 2021.

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SOME GOOD NEWS

  • B.C. mother who gave birth while in a coma due to COVID-19 is awake, meets baby for first time (CBC) ABBOTSFORD STORY "Gillian McIntosh, the Abbotsford, B.C., woman who gave birth via C-section [...] while in an induced coma and on a ventilator because of COVID-19, has been eased out of her coma and has met her newborn son for the first time."

  • Charlottetown students learn to sing with sign language because of COVID-19 measures (CBC) CHARLOTTETOWN STORY This is adorable! And moving. "Every morning before the school announcements, students at West Royalty Elementary listen to O Canada played over the school speakers. The school's kindergarten to Grade 5 students were unable to sing along due to public health guidelines and physical distancing limits. Most of the classrooms aren't big enough to allow for the two-metre distance required if students were to sing [...]. They are now able to take part in the national anthem by using the American Sign Language (ASL) version."

  • Popular Christmas classic gets a Cree makeover from teachers at Enoch Cree Nation (CBC) ENOCH STORY Beautiful! "It's not necessarily all she wants for Christmas, but connecting Cree kids with their Indigenous language would be high up on Tammy Rae Lamouche's wish list. With help from a transplanted Los Angeles rapper and a Cree elder, Lamouche is starting to make that dream come true with Cree versions of popular music — including a just-released version of Mariah Carey's holiday hit, All I Want for Christmas Is You."

  • Knitting takes off at addiction treatment centre in Surrey as men stitch hundreds of toques (CBC) SURREY STORY My grandfather learned to knit as a prisoner of war during WWII. Knitting is not only useful, it is good for your soul. "Knitting and being behind bars isn't the likeliest combination, but that's where 41-year-old Nelson Mendonca took up the hobby. It was part of art therapy and although he had a lot on his mind in jail, he picked up a round knitting loom brought in by staff to create toques. When Mendonca later joined a 90-day live-in treatment program at the Phoenix Society's transitional housing in Surrey, he returned to loom knitting as a way to overcome his anxiety and loneliness."

  • Girl's wish for women toy soldiers granted after viral letter to toymaker (Good Morning America) More please. Also, this is super cool. "A 7-year-old Arkansas girl who pleaded with a toymaker to start making a female version of the iconic Green Army Men figurines had her wish granted just in time for Christmas."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. 'Visionary' Calgary Stampede CEO Warren Connell has died (CBC) CALGARY STORY Our thoughts go out to Mr. Connell's family, his friends, and to the entire Calgary Stampede family. RIP Mr. Connell. We will not see your like again. "Calgary Stampede CEO Warren Connell, described as a 'visionary leader and ardent community builder,' has died, the organization says [...]. Connell joined the Stampede in 1984 and worked his way up to become CEO in 2015."

  2. Dr. Bonnie Henry co-writes new book about the first 4 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY We owe so much to these chief medical officers of health and Bonnie Henry in particular. #Leadership "A book by B.C.'s top doctor that recounts the first four weeks of her response to the COVID-19 pandemic is set to publish next spring. The book, Be Kind, Be Calm, Be Safe: Four Weeks that Shaped a Pandemic, will offer Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry's recollections during the pandemic's surreal start last March."

  3. A pavilion will soon rise at the AKG, thanks to donors (UAlberta) EDMONTON STORY Well done folks. And beautiful. ViTreo is proud to have helped the UofA with some of the early work associated with this project. Congrats to all. "The Aga Khan Garden, Alberta, which opened to wide acclaim in 2018, is being enhanced thanks to the generosity of donors. A new building, called the Diwan, will provide much-needed indoor gathering space and be a key focal point for visitors."

  4. Blue Jays win philanthropy award after adapting charity plans amid pandemic (Sportsnet) TORONTO STORY Innovation. Flexibility. Agility. Nice work Blue Jays! "The board, chaired by Melinda Rogers-Hixon, allowed Jays Care to run a deficit of up to $4 million during fiscal 2020 in order to scale up, rather than scale down its operations. The foundation’s work resulted in a $7.5-million pandemic plan that Major League Baseball recognized [...] with the annual Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence, the second time the Blue Jays have won the honour."

  5. Province appoints Stoney Nakoda First Nation member Cherith Mark to Banff Centre board of governors (Cochrane Today) BANFF STORY Congratulations to Ms. Mark and to the Banff Centre. "Cherith Mark, a member of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, has been appointed to the board of governors for the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity by the provincial government."

  6. Winnipeg Foundation chooses CEO (Winnipeg Free Press) WINNIPEG STORY "This is excellent for the Winnipeg Foundation, one of Canada's most respected community foundations. A new CEO will take over the Winnipeg Foundation when it celebrates the start of its second century of [operation]. Sky Bridges will become the sixth CEO, replacing Rick Frost, who will retire after leading the foundation for 23 years."*

  7. Parks Foundation Calgary microgrants aim to get citizens outdoors over the winter (Livewire Calgary) CALGARY STORY Great move Parks Foundation! "There’s $40,000 available, with a limit of $4,500 per group. [CEO Sheila] Taylor said applications are simple and straight forward, but Parks Foundation is asking groups to keep COVID safety top of mind."

  8. Giving Billions Fast, MacKenzie Scott Upends Philanthropy (New York Times) Boom! I love this new direction. "In the course of a few months, Ms. Scott has turned traditional philanthropy on its head. Whereas multibillion foundations like Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have fancy headquarters, Ms. Scott’s operation has no known address — or even website. She refers to a 'team of advisers' rather than a large dedicated staff." RELATED: Who is Alycia Kamil, the Chicago teen who helped inspire MacKenzie Scott to make $4.2B in donations?.

  9. Canadian Pacific to pilot hydrogen-powered train to decarbonize freight transport (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Nice. And smart. But...what took you so long? "Canadian Pacific says it will pilot a new project to build a hydrogen-powered train. The railway company says the line-haul locomotive will be the first of its kind in North America once it is retrofitted with hydrogen fuel cells and new battery technology."

  10. The Pandemic Is Pushing the World’s Most Esteemed Charities to Their Limits (The Robb Report) Not surprising given that the impact of this pandemic will be felt for generations but, still a sobering time for the charitable sector. "More than $17 billion was directed to coronavirus causes from March through October, according to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, outstripping the amounts for hurricanes and other 21st-century disasters by orders of magnitude. (Donors gave a mere $363 million within six months of the far more limited Ebola outbreak in 2014, for instance.)" RELATED: ‘Things are tough:’ Canadian charities struggling as COVID-19 hits their bottom line.

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. How to Lead When Your Team Is Exhausted — and You Are, Too (Harvard Business Review) If you are leader, this is probably the most important thing you can read as you close out 2020 and think about how you want to tackle 2021. #FirstBeKindToYourself Thank you to my friend, colleague, and a great leader, Ken Mayhew, for sharing this article with all us.

  2. The LEGO Leadership Playground (YouTube) A really cool video from an HR conference in 2020. Lego has such a strong and cool brand. Yet, it also struggled with evolving its leadership strategies. This is an excellent overview of a process we could all benefit from undertaking.

  3. Why being kind to others is good for your health (BBC) I have tried to make this my life motto. I fail regularly but each time, I get up and try to be better.

  4. My 2020 End of Year Lists (Barrak Obama) Oh my. What a great list of lists. And who doesn't love lists as you close out a year. Worth noting, we share our love for Queen's Gambit but...I don't recognize a single movie on his list.

  5. The 5 Best Business Books of 2020 (According to Every Other Best-of-2020 List) (Marker) A strong list. And I am putting one of these books at the top of my 2021 reading list: Uncharted - How to Navigate the Future (has there ever been a greater time of uncertainty in recent memory?)

  6. Mental Models For Dummies (Personal Growth) If you don't know what a mental model is or if you do and are not using them, well this is for you. (No, that does not mean you are a dummy -- it just means you want to learn more)

  7. The best card games to play with a standard deck (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT I love cards. There are great games to learn and relearn here.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. San Francisco mayor announces 25 mln USD donation from Airbnb co-founder to combat homelessness (Xinhua) Good move Airbnb! "San Francisco Mayor London Breed [...] announced a 25 million U.S. dollar donation from Airbnb Co-Founder and Chairman Joe Gebbia to benefit Rising Up-Larkin Street Youth Services and All Home. The donation will support the organizations' ongoing efforts to tackle homelessness and support families and individuals facing economic hardship as a result of the COVID-19 [pandemic]."

  2. MU alumna makes $2.85 million donation to College of Engineering to improve gender equality (Columbia Tribune) "Improving the participation and prospects of women in engineering is donor Sharon Langenbeck's goal in leaving $2.85 million to the University of Missouri College of Engineering."

  3. U of T Faculty of Music’s first woman PhD makes $1-million donation for music and health (UToronto) TORONTO STORY Music and health are well known to be related. Nice gift. "A $1 million donation to the Faculty of Music by scholar and musician Elaine Keillor promises to enhance music research at the University of Toronto as well as the science and practice of music and health through the establishment of the Elaine Keillor Music and Health Research Innovation Fund."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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