Weekly News Recap: March 16, 2018

Stephen Hawking (January 8, 1942, Oxford, United Kingdom Died: March 14, 2018). Wikipedia Public Domain Image

If I had to choose a superhero to be, I would pick Superman. He's everything that I'm not. -- Stephen Hawking

Why we do what we do

Women we admire

Inside the news

  • War Room (New York Magazine) A fascinating and inspirational look at the movement that saw teenage strategy sessions build an anti-gun movement out of the trauma of Parkland in one week" 3/6/18

News

  • Stephen Hawking dead at 76 (CBC) We have lost one of the world's greatest minds. I remember him well from seeing him in person in Edmonton in the late 1990s. RIP Dr. Hawking. "Stephen Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, died peacefully at home early Wednesday in Cambridge, England. He was 76 years old." 3/13/18

  • Chamber of Commerce taps globe-trotting businesswoman for top job (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY Congrats to the Chamber and to Ms. Lalli. ViTreo is proud to be working with the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. "[The] chamber announced Sandip Lalli will become its new president and CEO, replacing Adam Legge, who left last October." 3/13/18

  • Calgary school board closes door on adult education (CBC) CALGARY STORY "The Calgary Board of Education is closing rather than repairing the aging building that houses Chinook Learning Services, and will no longer offer high school upgrading and continuing education courses for adults." 3/13/18

  • Wanuskewin Heritage Park campaign receives $500K donation from Mosaic (Global News) SASKATOON STORY "The Mosaic Company announced on Tuesday it is donating $500,000 towards the Wanuskewin Heritage Park. Wanuskewin’s 'Thundering Ahead' capital campaign was launched in 2017 to raise $40 million for its renewed vision." 3/13/18

  • Small gift to Spruce Grove homeless man sparks big campaign of generosity (CBC) SPRUCE GROVE STORY I heart this. "A small spontaneous gift to a homeless man in Spruce Grove has sparked a campaign of generosity that has raised thousands of dollars and reached all the way to India." 3/13/18

  • Calgary's economic growth will slow to 2.5% this year, predicts Conference Board of Canada (CBC) CALGARY STORY "After rebounding out of the recession with an almost seven-per cent GDP growth spurt in 2017, the economy in Calgary will grow at a much more gradual rate for the next few years, the Conference Board of Canada forecasts." 3/13/18

  • Median income higher in Edmonton than in Calgary last year, Stats Can reports (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "The median take-home income in Edmonton was $82,000 for families and individuals in 2016, while the median income in Calgary was $67,700, according to data published Tuesday by Statistics Canada." 3/13/18

  • Kamloops parkade to be transformed into a giant piece of art (CBC) KAMLOOPS STORY I also heart this. "A Kamloops parkade will soon become the largest piece of public art in the city. Well-known local artist Bill Frymire has been commissioned to create an art piece that will cover the building with 90,000 small pieces of painted aluminum that will ripple in the breeze." 3/12/18

  • Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds tweets support and donation to Rio Theatre (CBC) "Ryan Reynolds is the latest actor to declare their support for the Rio Theatre's fundraising campaign. The Deadpool actor, who was born in Vancouver, tweeted [...] that he had donated to the building's Save the Rio campaign, which aims to raise money to buy the building from a developer." 3/12/18

  • Children’s Benefit Gala for Wood’s Homes set for March 24 (Lethbridge Herald) LETHBRIDGE STORY ViTreo is proud to be engaged with Wood's Homes. "If you want to be where the people are, you will want to attend the 14th annual Lethbridge Children’s Benefit Gala for Wood’s Homes Lethbridge and Area." 3/10/18

  • Bulldog rescue group not eligible for raffle licence (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "A not-for-profit that rescues bulldogs says it should be allowed to raise money through 50-50 draws, but the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission won't let them because they only care for one breed of dog." 3/10/18

  • New chair, deputy chair appointed to SFU Board of Governors (SFU News) VANCOUVER STORY Congrats to you both! "Vancouver lawyer Fiona Robin and Squamish Nation councillor Chris (Syeta'xtn) Lewis have been appointed as chair and deputy chair, respectively, of the SFU Board of Governors." 3/12/18

  • Donation to Indigenous Community (Bayshore Broadcasting) ONTARIO STORY "Bruce Power has donated $400,000 to local Indigenous community initiatives. Launched in 2016, the Investment Fund has focused on several areas including cultural, social, educational, and environmental issues in the communities of the Saugeen and Nawash Unceded First Nations." 3/10/18

  • VIDEO: Red Deer College needs three years to have “university” in its title (Red Deer Advocate) RED DEER STORY "Now that Red Deer College has the green light to become a degree-granting institution, the real work can begin. Joel Ward, Red Deer College president, said it will be at least three years until the college has 'university' in its title." 3/8/18

  • CMHA announce incredible fundraising success (Windsor Start) WINDSOR STORY "The local branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association has raised all of its three-year $500,000 fundraising goal for mental health awareness in just one year." 3/8/18

  • Effective immediately, WestJet Airlines chief executive Gregg Saretsky retires (CBC) CALGARY STORY "WestJet Airlines Ltd. says chief executive Gregg Saretsky is retiring [...]. Saretsky joined WestJet in June 2009 as vice-president, WestJet Vacations, and became chief executive in March 2010." 3/8/18

  • Thousands of energy jobs lost to Alberta downturn are gone for good, economist says (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "Thousands of oil and gas jobs lost during the Alberta recession are gone for good, predicts ATB financial chief economist Todd Hirsch. Even if the price of oil surpasses $100 a barrel, Alberta's energy workforce will never return to pre-recession levels, Hirsch said." 3/7/18

On books (and books to read)

Opinion

  • How Canada's oil capital can become a climate leader (National Post) CALGARY STORY Imagine! "Home to the head offices of Canada’s oil and gas firms, Calgary owes much to the energy industry. Does that mean it should fear a low-carbon future? The city of Calgary has made strong commitments to climate action: A goal of an 80 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 using a 2005 baseline. An analysis by the Climate Smart Cities team at the University of Leeds and the University of Calgary show that meeting this target is not only possible, but can be achieved in ways that yield substantial and broad-based economic, social and environmental benefits." 3/13/18

  • Is oil and gas reliant Red Deer ready for a change? (Red Deer Advocate) RED DEER STORY "Red Deer has among the most fossil fuel-reliant economies in the country, according to the results of a recent study [...]. With so much local reliance on an industry that’s been struggling, Red Deer resident Rene Michalak believes it’s important to gradually diversify our local economy." 3/13/18

  • New universities demonstrate education is valued in Alberta (The Gauntlet) ALBERTA STORY "Alberta’s Ministry of Advanced Education had a busy first week of March. They granted university status to three of the province’s colleges — Red Deer College (RDC), Grande Prairie Regional College (GPRC) and the Alberta College of Art + Design (ACAD). These changes, while partially symbolic, go a long way towards solidifying the value of non-traditional post-secondary education in Alberta." 3/8/18

Lists of lists

  • AFP Top Ten Fundraising Tips: Week of March 12, 2018 (AFP eWire) Another great list of top articles on fundraising curated by AFP. My three favourites this week are What Ask String Works Best?, It’s Time for Nonprofit Boards to Have a Conversation about Sexual Misconduct, and, forever and always, What Michelle Obama can teach us about women’s philanthropy 3/12/18

Life and career hacks

Uncommon knowledge

Philanthropic controversy

  • Donor cuts $75 million from gift to Sanford Burnham Prebys (San Diego Union-Tribune) "An anonymous donor who pledged to give a record $275 million to the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in La Jolla has canceled $75 million of the gift for reasons that aren’t entirely clear." 3/13/18

  • Opioid Protest at Met Museum Targets Donors Connected to OxyContin (New York Times) We first touched on this issue in our February 23, 2018 recap. "Anti-opioid activists unfurled banners and scattered pill bottles on Saturday inside the Sackler Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which is named for a family connected to the powerful painkilling drug OxyContin." 3/10/18

  • Microsoft throttles on-prem tech donation scheme for nonprofits (The Register) "Big-hearted Microsoft has confirmed pending changes that will make it easier for charities to use its cloud services but will hike prices for anyone daring to use its on-premises wares." 3/9/18

  • Humana's own charity donation boosts executive bonuses (Axios) "Top Humana executives maxed out their annual cash bonuses in 2017 after the health insurance company used atypical accounting to beef up the measure of profitability that bonuses are based on, according to a new federal filing. This isn't the first time Humana has doled out bonuses based on juiced-up profit numbers." March 2018

Trends and shifts

Large gifts

  • Bob Dhillon 'gives back' with $10 million donation to the University of Lethbridge (Financial Post) LETHBRIDGE STORY What a lovely gift. Nice work everybody. Thank you Mr. Dhillon. "In Calgary and Lethbridge on Wednesday, ceremonies will be held to accept a $10 million donation for the University of Lethbridge from Dhillon, founder and chief executive of Mainstreet Equity, a Calgary-based TSX-listed value-added, mid-market consolidator of apartments in Western Canada [...]. The money is earmarked for the university’s faculty of management, which will be renamed the Dhillon School of Business." 3/14/18

  • Dubé’s make $1M donation to new Saskatchewan Hospital (Global News) NORTH BATTLEFORD STORY "The Dubé’s have made a significant contribution to the new Saskatchewan Hospital currently under construction in North Battleford. Irene and Leslie Dubé [have] announced [...] a $1 million gift to the hospital campaign for an exterior corridor that will welcome visitors, patients and their families to the Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford." Thanks to Arla Gustafson for sharing this story. 3/14/18

  • $15M donation allows UVa business students to study abroad (Seattle Times) "A $15 million donation will enable every member of the University of Virginia’s incoming class of full-time MBA students to receive paid trips abroad. The university’s Darden School of Business announced [...] that the $15 million donation from the Batten Foundation unlocked a matching gift from the university’s Bicentennial Scholars Fund, creating a $30 million endowment for the new Batten Foundation Darden Worldwide Scholarship program." 3/13/18

  • MoCP receives $1M gift from Ruttenberg Foundation (Columbia Chronicle) "The Museum of Contemporary Photography received a $1 million donation from the David C. and Sarajean Ruttenberg Foundation Feb. 1, the largest donation the museum has ever seen." 3/11/18

  • Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff pledges $1,000,000 donation to March for Our Lives (Mercury News) If I was Dr. Who, I would double heart this. "Salesforce founder and CEO Marc Benioff announced a $1 million pledge toward this month’s national anti-gun-violence March for Our Lives." 3/12/18

  • UMass Boston Receives $5 Million for Sports Leadership Program (Philanthropy News Digest) "The University of Massachusetts Boston has announced a $5 million gift from New Balance and its chair, Jim Davis, to launch a sports leadership program." 3/10/18

  • Gates Awards $3 Million for Jordan-Based Mobile Money Initiative (Philanthropy News Digest) "The Central Bank of Jordan has announced a $3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for an initiative aimed at empowering low-income Jordanians and refugees." 3/10/18

  • Architect donates $3-million building for Edmonton women who are homeless, pregnant (CBC) EDMONTON STORY "A project to help women who are homeless and pregnant in Edmonton has found a home, thanks to the donation of a $3-million building by architect Gene Dub." 3/9/18

  • Oregon winery donates US$6 million for new research hub (Decanter.com) A gift I can drink to. Awesome. Really. "Grace and Ken Evenstad, owners of Domaine Serene in Oregon and Château de la Cree in Santenay, have donated US$6 million to a local college in Oregon with the express aim of attracting world-class wine research and teaching talent to the state." 3/9/18

  • Million-dollar donation will help families battle children's cancer (wsoctv.com) "[Santos] is keeping her daughter’s memory alive through The Isabella Santos Foundation. She's made it her mission to help other families. Neuroblastoma most often hits children under 5 years old. The Foundation has gifted $1 million to the Levine Children's Hospital for a special room that will allow a child battling neuroblastoma cancer to be with family during radiation treatment." 3/9/18

  • $1 million donation establishes Brightfelt Professorship in Cornea (Daily Iowan) "Robert Brightfelt donated $1 million to the UI clinics after physicians repaired his vision." 3/9/18

  • $2.3 Million Donation Pays Off Raue Center Debt (Crysal Lake Patch) "A generous donor has paid off a $2.3 million in debt owed by the Raue Center For The Arts in Crystal Lake." 3/9/18

  • ‘Unparalleled’ donation sees community centre named after Meridian (The Standard) ST. CATHERINE'S STORY "Pelham's new community centre officially has a name: Meridian Community Centre [...]. Meridian has made a $1-million contribution to the project." 3/8/18

  • New Greenville cancer center gets name following major donation (NBC) "A new cancer center [...] will be named after a family that donated $10-million to the facility. Vidant Medical Center says that the new cancer center and bed tower will be named the 'Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Tower,' in honor of the family that donated $10 million to the project." 3/8/18

  • HospiceCare receives $1 million donation for new facilities (Cayman Compass) "Cayman HospiceCare announced [...] that it has received a US$1 million donation, which will be used to help construct its new 6,000-square-foot building." 3/8/18

  • Couple’s $4 million donation to Railyard museum project lands them naming rights (Santa Fe - New Mexican) "In the next couple of years, the long-closed Halpin Building at edge of the city’s Railyard District, could be transformed to an airy, light-filled contemporary art annex of the downtown New Mexico Museum of Art [...]. The state Department of Cultural Affairs and the private Museum of New Mexico Foundation announced [that] they are closer to that goal after receiving a $4 million donation from wealthy Santa Fe residents, relative newcomers who secured naming rights with the gift." 3/8/18

  • Wake Tech receives million dollar donation to nursing school (ABC) "Wake Technical Community College has received one of the largest donor gifts ever - a million dollars, over several years, for its nursing program. Because of this donation, the building was able to be renamed to the nursing school for Martha Mann Smith, [a former nurse.]" Wake Technical Community College is an accredited, two-year, community college located in Raleigh, North Carolina. 3/7/18

  • $1.3 million donation buys refrigerated ‘rescue’ trucks for food bank (San Antonio Express-News) This is cool (see what I did there?...groan). "Philanthropist Harvey E. Najim recently donated $1.3 million to the San Antonio Food Bank, a major donation that was put toward the purchase of 10 new refrigerated 'food rescue trucks." 3/7/18

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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