Weekly News Recap: May 22, 2020

Weekly News Recap: May 22, 2020

Rocky Mountain House’s Ronnie Vickers, 74, will marathon 42 kilometres to raise money for the Red Deer Hospice Society. Contributed photo

Here is a test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't. -- Richard Bach

VITREO FUNDRAISING ASK ANYTHING ZOOM CHATS

We have hosted five Ask Anything* Zoom chats over the last few weeks. The feedback on these sessions has been tremendous. So much so that we are coming up on our fourth of a five-part series. Our next session is all about the role of the board during a financial and existential crisis. And, we always have special guests (psst... confirmed are Eva Friesen, Sue Tomney, and June Bradham) Registration is free. Seating is limited. Visit our Ask Anything page to see times and dates. Register today.

FUNDRAISING IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

+ Here is ViTreo's most recent blog post: NONPROFIT PANDEMIC RE-OPENING — THE NEXT 100 DAYS …How is your organization building its plan? Should it have a plan…?

+ And a freshly updated (as at May 22, 2020) set of resources: 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.

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Some Good News with John Krasinski: The SGN Community Episode! (Ep. 8) (YouTube) There are many things I will remember about this pandemic. This is one I will remember as a shining light. Thank you John. Truly. Thank. You. "Some Good News has always been… about YOU! SGN wants to thank each and every one of you for being a part of this story. For sending in your clips, weather reports, and art. For watching, laughing, crying, dancing, and celebrating with us. There IS always GOOD in the world! Now it's time for everyone to continue to spread good news in their own ways. We're taking a break for now, but there is more to come! Stay tuned."

  • These kids learn 'em-paw-thy' by painting dogs who need homes (CBC) CALGARY STORY I heart this. So. Much. "It's an unusual task for the budding artists in this Grade 4 class in a southeast Calgary school: paint a picture of real dogs needing adoption and let the pooches' personalities shine through. But their teacher says the students' thoughtful questions and desire to learn more about the dogs when the assignment's done — not to mention the cheers and high fives when a dog is adopted — show the Empathy Pawject works."

  • Winners of the 2020 BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition (The Atlantic) Beautiful. Thanks to Michael Donlevy for sharing this story. "Entrants in this year’s contest were invited to submit images showcasing the Earth’s biodiversity and showing some of the mounting threats to the natural world."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. Being a Fundraiser, but on the Front Lines (eJewishPhilanthropy) A terrifically moving reminder of mission. To all of those, who are regularly on the front lines, I give you this. #GrabATissue "There was also the possibility that staffing shortages would mean we’d be asked to feed certain individuals. I really didn’t give any of it much thought; it was a welcome distraction from calls to prospective donors in support of our annual campaign and would provide some interesting insight into what the frontline workers at the Jewish Home are doing day-to-day with the elders in our care."

  2. 'Bicycles are the new toilet paper': bike sales boom as coronavirus lockdown residents crave exercise (The Guardian) Excellent! I love biking. "Australian bike retailers are struggling to keep up with the boom in sales since coronavirus restrictions came into force last month. 'We’re the new toilet paper and everyone wants a piece,' Grant Kaplan, manager of Giant Sydney, a bike store in Sydney’s CBD, tells Guardian Australia. 'We can’t keep up with sales. Literally the phone is ringing nonstop,' he laughs, as another call came through in the background."

  3. Calgary shelter partners with hotel chain to aid victims of domestic violence (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY Smart! Nice work confidential hotel chain. ViTreo is proud to be working with the Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter as they work through these uncertain times. "Hotel rooms may become a safe refuge for women and children fleeing violence as COVID-19 threatens space in emergency shelters. To meet an expected surge in demand, while maintaining physical distancing and safety requirements, the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter (CWES) has partnered with a hotel chain in Calgary — kept confidential for safety reasons — to offer shelter for women escaping domestic violence."

  4. Lunchbox Theatre Update: 2020/2021 SEASON & NEXT STEPS (Lunchbox Theatre) CALGARY STORY Hard. Heartbreaking. And, a leadership move. At ViTreo we are proud to be working with Lunchbox Theatre as they work through these uncertain times. "At this time, we are postponing our 2020/2021 season. This decision, made by the Board of Directors in consultation with Artistic Producer Shari Wattling, was made with careful consideration. Given the impact of COVID-19 on our operations and the financial challenges we face as an organization, this decision will allow us to move forward in a responsible and sustainable way. We will use this time to rebuild and re-imagine our future, with an aim to return to season programming in the fall of 2021."

  5. 74-year-old man marathoning for Red Deer Hospice Society (Red Deer Advocate) RED DEER STORY Nice. ViTreo is proud to be working with the Red Deer Hospice as they work to complete their campaign during these uncertain times. "Ronnie Vickers [...] won’t be able to participate in the event this year, due to its cancellation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic [...]. 'When it was cancelled, I had already been training for about 10 weeks, so I figured what the heck, I'm just going to keep doing it and I'll do it alone in Rocky.'"

  6. Calgary's biggest museums, art galleries not ready to reopen (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY "Officials from the city’s biggest galleries and museums say they have not set a firm date on when activities might resume at their facilities and had no plans to reopen as part of [the] first stage of its economic relaunch."

  7. Coronavirus: Calgary Zoo to reopen on May 23 — but you won’t get to say bye to the giant pandas (Global News) CALGARY STORY I hope to visit on Saturday. I have missed our zoo. Heck, I have missed a lot of things. "The Calgary Zoo announced [...] it will be reopening its doors to the public with reduced capacity and online tickets [...] citing approval from Alberta Health Services. Since closing [...] the zoo said it implemented extensive health measures and surveyed people to understand how to make them feel safe during the new, one-way, outdoor-only, limited-capacity experience called Zooventure."

  8. OPINION | Calgary can become a cleantech capital within a decade. Here's how (CBC) CALGARY STORY I could not agree more. If we can harness the incredible energy and resource brainpower that is currently idling, just imagine. Imagine! "Imagine Calgary a decade from now, thriving, with near-zero office vacancy, full employment, and robust public finances. Top students are flocking to the city from other provinces and our young people are staying or returning home. Green energy companies are multiplying and thriving. Now ask yourself: How did we get there?"

  9. Thousands of varsity athletes in limbo as universities grapple with COVID-19 (Medicine Hat News) CANADIAN STORY One of the many travesties of the pandemic. My heart goes out to these athletes. "Arjay Shelley is keeping fit and strong by pushing his mom’s black Subaru SUV around the parking lot at Port Moody Secondary School. Arjay Shelley is one of some-20,000 student-athletes from 56 Canadian universities who are in limbo, trying to remain positive and proactive as the calendar ticks closer to what would normally be the kick-off of their Fall sport seasons, but now look in doubt."

  10. Lori Loughlin to Plead Guilty in College Admissions Scandal (New York Times) "The actress Lori Loughlin has agreed to plead guilty and to serve two months in prison. Her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, a fashion designer, is expected to serve five months."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Charities & the COVID-19 Pandemic ) (Imagine Canada) CANADIAN STORY An important and timely report on the state of our sector. "[Our] organizations are changing and innovating rapidly, working to adapt to systemic changes almost without parallel in living memory. Across the country, charities are modifying existing programs, developing new ones, and implementing measures to help prevent the spread of the virus – all in dramatically changed working environments. [...] Unfortunately, the report also clearly shows that the pandemic is significantly damaging the financial and human health of our organizations."

  2. Got 5 Minutes? Use Them to Work Up a Quick Sweat at Home (Yahoo Life) Who does not have five minutes. Apparently, you only need to carve out a few every day to stay fit.

  3. Dear Diary: This Calgary mom is having all the feels when it comes to COVID-19 (CBC) These Dear Diary stories are really compelling. Authentic. Real humans. Real stories. "In this instalment of our series, Dear Diary: In a Time of COVID-19, Angie Bailie lists all the emotions she's feeling on a daily basis during the pandemic. This submission has been edited for clarity and length."

  4. Work-from-home success changing Calgary office use assumptions, CEOs say (CBC) CALGARY STORY Yep. Bad time to be in commercial real estate. "The ramifications as downtown offices reopen in Calgary could mean fewer face-to-face meetings, less travel, more flexibility for workers in where, when and how they work and, ultimately, lower leasing bills, CEOs say."

  5. Puberty and a pandemic: Why teens are having a tough time (CBC) CANADIAN STORY All true. I feel for all of our teens. I have two. "The teen years may be brief, but they are an incredibly important and unique time in a person's life; sweet freedom, new friendships, all-encompassing romances and taking steps toward adulthood are intoxicating — and to have that process shut down suddenly for a global pandemic is jarring! Raise your hand if celebrating Mother's Day also included having a spat with your adolescent offspring? If not, it's probably because they haven't woken up yet. "

  6. No! You shouldn’t host a virtual gala this year! (eJewishPhilanthropy) We are being given the gift of both time and broken dreams. We need to do something with both.

  7. How humour may lighten the load of COVID-19 (healththing.ca) I have been laughing at terrible things for a while now. You?

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Parkland to contribute over $4 million to front-line health workers, truckers and food banks (RD News Now) RED DEER STORY Love this company. Nice work Parkland. "Parkland Corporation has announced that they are on track to contribute over $4 million of community support during the COVID-19 pandemic across its Canadian, US and International businesses. [Parkland] announced an additional $500,000 of support to Food Banks Canada [...]. In addition, [...] Parkland will match up to $250,000 of their customers financial donations with additional fuel and healthy snacks."

  2. Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations Commits $384 Million for a Covid-19 Vaccine (Grants Roundup) (Chronicle of Philanthropy) A mind-blowing roundup of gifts.

  3. Sheryl Sandberg Announces $20M Facebook Donation for Women, Minority And Veteran-Owned Businesses (Benzinga) Nice move Facebook. "Appearing on CNBC’s 'Mad Money' [...] Sandberg said the $20 million would come from the $100 million small business grant program that Facebook announced in March. Of the total grant amount, $40 million is to be channeled to U.S. businesses, while half that amount will go to women, minorities, and veterans. The money will be disbursed 'within a few weeks.' Sandberg acknowledged, 'We know when crises hit the most vulnerable get hit the hardest.'"

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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