Weekly News Recap: May 1, 2020

Weekly News Recap: May 1, 2020

This handsome fella, the Ramsay turkey known as Turk, now has his own tracking site, but the data is delayed to avoid unwanted attention. (Submitted by Christa White)

The greatest compassion is the prevention of human suffering through patience, alertness, courage and kindness. -- Amit Ray,

VITREO FUNDRAISING ASK ANYTHING ZOOM CHATS

We have hosted three Ask Anything Zoom chats over the last few weeks. The feedback on these sessions has been tremendous. Two weeks ago we began the first of a five-part series with a session on events. Our May 1 session was about case for support in the time of COVID-19. Our next session will be on how to get your 100-day plan off the ground. Registration is free. Seating is limited. We always have special guests. Visit our Ask Anything page to see times and dates. Register today.

FUNDRAISING IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

+ We are here to help. We are all in this together. If you would like to chat, reach out and schedule some time to talk. You can also call us at 403.210.3157 or, if this is still your thing, you can send us an e-mail. Stay safe. Stay sane.

+ Here is ViTreo's most recent blog post: CHALLENGING TIMES IN ALUMNI RELATIONS -- Alumni offices must be willing to experiment

+ And a freshly updated (as at April 30, 2020) set of resources: [Fundraising In The Time Of COVID-19] (https://www.vitreogroup.ca/fundraising-in-the-time-of-covid-19)

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • VIDEO: SGN Potluck: Some Good News with John Krasinski Ep. 5 (YouTube) John keeps killin' it week after week. Watch for the pillow scene. Just sayin'. "John Krasinski highlights some good news around the world and brings in his friends Guy Fieri, Martha Stewart, David Chang, and Stanley Tucci for an SGN potluck."

  • VIDEO: Cirque du Soleil Family Puts On Unbelievable Living Room Performance (HuffPost) If you have not seen this, it will make your day. If you have, it will re-make your day. "The Athertons, currently staying home to flatten the curve in Hamburg, Germany, are no different. OK, that’s a lie. Fifty per cent of this family’s members (all the grown-ups) happen to be Cirque du Soleil artists. The other half are their super-flexible offspring. What they’re doing in their living room is nothing like what any of us are doing in ours.

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. Alberta to take first steps to open economy on Monday, with emphasis on outdoor activities (CBC) ALBERTA STORY The end of of the beginning. "The first step in Alberta's plan to reopen its economy will emphasize outdoor activities, with golf courses to open [...] followed by shops, bars and restaurants by [mid-month]. Premier Jason Kenney detailed his government's plan for a multi-stage relaunch that will depend on the province's continued ability to control the spread of the coronavirus and curb the number of COVID-19 patients who need hospital care."

  2. More than 50% of Canadian companies have lost at least one-fifth of their revenue to COVID-19, StatsCan says (CBC) CANADIAN STORY We are all in this together. And unfortunately, this is part of it. "Nearly one-third — 32.3 per cent — of businesses have lost 40 per cent of their revenues during the pandemic. A further 21.2 per cent said revenues were down by at least 20 per cent. All in all, more than 80 per cent of businesses across the country reported a 'medium to high' drop in demand for their products or services."

  3. In the 'hot zone': On the front lines of the COVID-19 battle at B.C.'s biggest hospital (CBC) At the front lines, this war is still on. "The COVID-19 critical care unit is divided in two: the warm zone and the hot zone. The hot zone is where the infected patients themselves are examined and treated. The warm zone is a buffer area that acts as a staging zone for health-care workers. Each team spends up to three hours making the rounds inside the hot zone before peeling off their personal protective equipment, washing their hands like lives depend on it, then rotating and swapping out."

  4. AFP ICON VIRTUAL: An Interview With Bob Carter (AFP IHQ) Bob has been a friend and mentor to many of us, including me. This is a terrific interview. Thanks Bob. "During his AFP ICON VIRTUAL interview, Robert 'Bob' Carter, CFRE, the 2020 recipient of the Chair’s Award for Outstanding Service, discusses his introduction to fundraising, why he chose to stick with it, his longtime service within the charitable sector and more."

  5. Colleges are facing a cash crunch and it could alter campus life (CNN) The world, at least for higher education, has changed. In some ways, forever. "Johns Hopkins University said it would see a projected profit of $72 million on its $6.5 billion budget become a $100 million loss for this financial year, and it expected a loss of up to $375 million for the next financial year ending in June 2021. To mitigate some of the losses, the university will suspend employer contributions to retirement accounts, cut salaries for leaders and expects to have staff furloughs or layoffs."

  6. Stampede cancellation will rip about $500M from Alberta economy (CBC) CALGARY STORY When they made this announcement last week, it was psychically gutting for Calgarians. The right decision? Yes. Heart-wrenching? Also yes. "Alberta will lose out on more than half a billion dollars due to the cancellation of this year's Calgary Stampede. That's the provincial economic impact, according to the Conference Board of Canada, and it affects everyone from cab drivers, to hotels to restaurants and bars."

  7. Iconic images from Hubble Space Telescope (CBC) I love every one of these images. Many have hung on my wall. "Launched on April 24, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope remains a major symbol for NASA more than 30 years later. Here's a look at some stellar images from the Hubble."

  8. Surge in demand sees Robin Hood flour running out of its iconic yellow bags (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Try finding yeast. Do you know a guy? Let me know. We can work something out. "Feverish demand for baking has one of the biggest sellers of flour in the country saying it is having trouble finding enough of its iconic yellow bags to put it in. As millions of people across the country shelter in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus, there has been a surge in the popularity of baking at home, both for food and to pass the time [...]. Anecdotal reports suggest flour has rivalled toilet paper as one of the hardest items to find."

  9. Ramsay turkey gets his own tracking site complete with anti-harassment safeguard (CBC) CALGARY STORY My wife, Christine, has been talking about Turk for a few weeks now. She and thousands of Calgarians are captivated by Turk's symbol of hope, freedom, and joy. It is definitely starting to rub off on me. "A wild turkey that has gobbled up the affections of several communities near the downtown core now has his own web presence so people can enjoy updates, but with a catch. 'It's for people who have had past or current sightings of Turk,' Lynn Moorman of the TurkTracker site told the Calgary Eyeopener. 'They can go on and place that location with some detail as to what he is doing, how he is looking.'"*

  10. Air Canada anticipates return of worldwide air travel by Christmas (CBC) "An Air Canada vice president suggests that by the time winter holidays roll around again, Canadians will be able to board his company's planes and fly almost anywhere in the world. But Tim Strauss said he knows that one of the biggest tasks involved in bringing air travel back to life after pandemic restrictions lift will be convincing the public it's safe to fly."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Your Only Goal Is to Arrive (Forge) This is a fantastically simple approach to surviving quarantine. I just wish I had read it earlier.

  2. The reason Zoom calls drain your energy (BBC) I knew it!

  3. People Constantly Underestimate How Much They Benefit From Being Kind (Pocket) This is one of my core values. I don't always get there but I never stop trying.

  4. We Don’t Just Need to Connect — We Need to Reconnect (Smarter Living) I have been doing a ton of this. I love it!

  5. When You Eat Can Be Just as Important as What You Eat (Pocket) I really believe that this is one of the issues I have with my metabolism generally. A ten-hour window sounds like just the ticket.

  6. 21 Copycat Restaurant Recipes You Can Make In Your Own Kitchen (Buzzfeed) These are not high cuisine but they are comfort cuisine.

  7. Love in the time of COVID-19: how the pandemic has changed dating (CBC) CANADIAN STORY I am curious to see if this pandemic will change the course of some of my single friends' lives.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. "Stronger Together" special raises over $6 million for Food Banks Canada (Richmond News) CANADIAN STORY I heart this. I also made my text donation. You can too! "The star-studded 'Stronger Together' broadcast raised over $6 million in donations for Food Banks Canada, a number that the non-profit organization expects to reach $10 million by the end of the week. The 90-minute special featuring a number of A-list performers and celebrities was broadcast [...] on dozens of TV stations, streaming and radio platforms. It also served as a national salute to front-line workers in the fight against COVID-19."

  2. TikTok launches donation tool alongside $10m funding (charitytimes) The more I get to know TikTok, the more I like them. Nice move TikTok. "TikTok has launched a new donation tool to help charities raise funds during Covid-19. The video-sharing platform has today launched 'donation stickers', a new in-app feature allowing people to raise money for charities of their choice through videos and live streams. TikTok announced it will match user donations made through the stickers up to $10m (around £8m) until 27 May."

  3. Prominent Montreal families come together to fight the pandemic with $4M donation to MUHC Foundation (The Montrealer) MONTREAL STORY So great! "The gifts from The Hewitt Foundation, the late Elspeth McConnell, and the Trottier Family Foundation will allow the MUHC to rapidly launch critical research projects to end this virus, provide essential resources to isolated patients and support the tireless efforts of its hospital staff."

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

The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by ViTreo Group Inc. of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. ViTreo Group does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. All links are provided with the intent of meeting the mission of the ViTreo Group Inc. Please let us know about existing external links which you believe are inappropriate.

Vincent DuckworthComment