Weekly News Recap: June 15, 2018

Sheldon Kennedy addresses those gathered at the Conexus Arts Centre for the University of Regina convocation exercises after receiving an honorary degree. RAE GRAHAM/Courtesy University of Regina RAE GRAHAM / COURTESY U OF R

True humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. — C.S. Lewis

Books to read

News

  • How Alberta's bank rode out the oil price crash (CBC) ALBERTA STORY An important part of Alberta's fiscal safety net. "For those living in Alberta, the oil market crash was an unavoidable tragedy [...]. The oil plunge posed a significant threat to ATB Financial. Most banks are diversified geographically, but ATB only operates in Alberta, so there was nowhere to run from the downturn. The Crown corporation, owned by the Alberta government, had to figure out how to stay afloat, while also sticking its neck out for the oilpatch." 6/12/18

  • Edmonton non-profit fundraises for new space to help working poor families (CBC) EDMONTON STORY "HEARTS stands for Helping Everyone Access Resources Through Supports. The Edmonton non-profit aims to help the working poor with anything they might need. The thrift store offers everything from clothing to housewares to personal hygiene products and even some home decor, all for a $5 user fee. HEARTS has helped more than 2,500 families in total, including almost 9,000 people in the last six months." 6/12/18

  • Restaurant CEO Honors Anthony Bourdain for Sharing 'American Dream' by Donating to Suicide Hotline (People) RIP Anthony. "One of the restaurant businesses that was given Anthony Bourdain‘s seal of approval is thanking the late chef and TV host following his death from an apparent suicide on Friday [...]. To honor Bourdain’s memory, [Jason] Wang announced that his company would be donating all of their profits from Friday to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255)." 6/10/18

  • Historic King Eddy to be revived as live music venue (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY "Calgary’s historic King Edward Hotel will be revived as a permanent live music venue after a 10-day music series during the Calgary Stampede." 6/8/18

  • The art of philanthropy, or how to raise a few hundred million dollars (Sidney Morning Herald) "[The] announcement by Victoria's Premier of a $1 billion project to build the National Gallery of Victoria's long-mooted standalone contemporary gallery, and the Arts Centre's longed-for Performing Arts Museum, begs the question - who will pay for it? The state government has kicked in $208 million for the first phase of the project, including $95.5 million to buy the CUB building behind NGV International, which will become the site of a gleaming new modern art space, NGV Contemporary." 6/8/18

  • 'Innovation ecosystem' key in Calgary Economic Development 10-year strategy (CBC) CALGARY STORY "Calgary Economic Development says innovation is key for the city to fully move beyond its recent economic challenges, which include unemployment and lots and lots of empty offices." 6/7/18

  • Scott Hutcheson named chair of Calgary Olympic Bid Corporation (CBC) CALGARY STORY Congrats! "An active member of Calgary's arts, culture and sports scene has been named chair of the 2026 Olympic Bid Corporation. Scott Hutcheson is a co-founder of Aspen Properties and is chair of the board of Arts Commons and the board of WinSport." 6/7/18

  • Varcoe: Calgary's economy at a 'crossroads and there’s no option but to adjust,' warns report (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY "Calgary Economic Development unveiled an update to the economic strategy for a city hall committee this week, painting a starkly different and more complex picture of the road ahead. 'The landscape is clearly, totally different. At the time we dealt with that (2012 report), we were really looking at how we manage growth,' Mayor Naheed Nenshi said in an interview. 'Now we’re in fragile economic recovery. We are thinking about our future in a very different way.'" 6/7/18

  • The new Oprah exhibit looks like a reward for her $21 million donation. But honestly, she deserves it. (Washington Post) "'Watching Oprah,' a new exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, also is a testament — to Oprah, obviously, and her extraordinary story. But also to the rest of us, black and white, American and otherwise. It’s a testament to our culture’s transformation, to who we have become." 6/7/18

  • Sheldon Kennedy receives an honorary U of R degree for advocacy work (Regina Leader Post) REGINA STORY Congrats Sheldon! Keep on inspiring. "Kennedy was recognized for his advocacy work around the prevention of child abuse, bullying, harassment and discrimination — work that stems from his own experience being sexually abused by his coach." 6/6/18

  • Pandas help Calgary Zoo set new attendance record in May (Global News) CALGARY STORY "The popularity of the panda family on loan from China helped the Calgary Zoo set an all-time attendance record in May. Last month, 190,067 visitors passed through the gates, breaking the previous record of 147,285 set in 2003 when the zoo opened Destination Africa." 6/6/18

Canada's First Peoples

Life and career hacks

Uncommon knowledge

Philanthropic personalities

  • Zimbabwean Billionaire Strive Masiyiwa And Wife Receive British Award For Philanthropy (Forbes) "Theresa May, the British Prime Minister has recognized Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa and his wife, Tsitsi Masiyiwa, for their exceptional voluntary service providing education to underprivileged children in Zimbabwe, by awarding them with the Points of Light award." 6/13/18

  • Len Ainsworth honoured for poker machines and philanthropy (Sidney Morning Herald) "Poker machine billionaire Len Ainsworth leads the list of corporate leaders in this year’s Queens Birthday Honours list. The recognition melds his stature as the godfather of Australia controversial poker machine industry with his decision to devote the considerable fortune he derived from the business sector pariah to philanthropic interests." 6/10/18

Philanthropic controversy

  • Councillor retracts threat to Edmonton Pride Festival funding (CBC) EDMONTON STORY "An Edmonton city councillor is backtracking on a tweet he made Sunday suggesting he would — or could — influence how much money Edmonton's Pride Festival gets from the city next year. After Pride organizers announced they will ban police and military from future parades, Coun. Jon Dziadyk tweeted he won't support funding the parade." 6/11/18

  • Plan to diversify elite NYC schools draws fire from Asians (Washington Post) "A plan to diversify New York City’s most elite public high schools is drawing fire from the minority group that has come to dominate the schools in recent years: Asian-Americans." 6/9/18

  • Sask. Polytechnic decision hits trades students in rural campus hard, says petition organizer (CBC) SASKATCHEWAN STORY "A Saskatchewan Polytechnic decision to close down its athletic programs and fitness centres continues to rankle, with a trades student in Prince Albert saying the move has hurt students of rural campuses, who depend on the service to ward off isolation." 6/9/18

  • Cycle of debt: How the Tour of Alberta went bankrupt (Calgary Herald) ALBERTA STORY*A cautionary tale. "The bankrupt Tour of Alberta left trails of debt fanning out from its former headquarters in Edmonton to points all over North America, tainting the legacy of an elite cycling event that beamed postcard images of the province across the globe." Thanks to Scott Decksheimer for sharing this story. 6/6/18*

  • Council criticised for accepting anonymous donation of Rolls Royce (Evening Express) "An MP has criticised a 'Dickensian' council for accepting an anonymous donation of a Rolls Royce for use as the Lord Provost’s car. Glasgow City Council said the Rolls Royce Ghost will replace one of the council’s Volkswagen Phaetons that was due to have its lease renewed and expects the move will save the city money." 6/6/18

Trends and shifts

  • Charitable giving is at a record high. Here’s where we’re donating our money (USA Today) "Charitable giving surged to a record high in 2017 as Americans gave more than $400 billion for the first time ever to a wide variety of organizations, according to a new report released Tuesday. Giving jumped 5.2% from last year to an estimated $410.02 billion in 2017, according to Giving USA 2018, the Giving USA Foundation’s annual report on philanthropy." ViTreo is proud to be a member of the Giving Institute who sponsors this research. 6/12/18

  • Behind the Millions in University Grants for Research on Blockchain Tech (Inside Philanthropy) "Among the true believers are the founders of Ripple, a blockchain technology firm founded in 2012 and lately near the forefront of a lot action. The company is flush enough, and forward thinking enough, that it just committed $50 million to expand academic research on the subject [...]. [There] is a lot of interest in blockchain technology itself, largely in the financial industry, but also related to other potential, some say world-changing, applications in digital privacy or secure exchange of information. And there is a growing number of intersections between the cryptocurrency boom and philanthropy." 6/10/18

  • Across Canada, more colleges are transitioning to universities (University Affairs) CANADIAN STORY "The college-to-university transition is a recurring phenomenon in Canada. Two other Alberta colleges i[n addition to Red Deer College, Grande Prairie Community College, and the Alberta College of Art + Design] made a similar transition less than a decade ago, while British Columbia saw five postsecondary institutions (three university-colleges and two colleges) become universities back in 2008. Yukon College is also slated to officially become a university within a couple of years, and Sheridan College in Ontario has stated its interest in becoming a university by 2020." 6/6/18

  • "Good Progress." A Leading Funder Weighs in on Climate Priorities (Inside Philanthropy) "'Long-term philanthropic support has made a tremendous difference on some very important climate achievements that have helped avoid levels of warming that would otherwise have caused significantly increased suffering.… We need to go much further, but philanthropy has clearly facilitated good progress.'" 6/6/18

  • UO adding cryptocurrency program thanks to $1 million donation (Register-Guard) "Global cryptocurrency company Ripple is giving the University of Oregon real money to support the study of the emerging digital payment industry. San Francisco-based Ripple will give the university $1 million in a five-year agreement, according to the UO." 6/6/18

Large gifts

  • $1 million donation made toward new indoor athletics facility at Washburn University (Topeka Capital-Journal) "Washburn University received a $1 million gift from the Sunderland Foundation for their new Indoor Athletics Facility, bringing the university within $1 million of meeting its fundraising goal to create the roughly $20 million facility." Washburn University is a co-educational, public institution of higher learning in Topeka, Kansas. 6/12/18

  • MTSU announces record $287 million software donation (Fox News) "Middle Tennessee State University announced a record $287 million software donation from a German company[.] MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee announced the donation from Siemens, a partner of the mechatronics program." 6/12/18

  • Record $7 million donation from San Manuel to pay for replacement of San Bernardino fire stations (The Sun) "Two dilapidated fire stations in San Bernardino will be replaced thanks in large part to a record $7 million donation from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians." 6/12/18

  • “Miser” surprises everyone by leaving millions to charity (The Independent) "Despite his reputation for miserliness, Loh Kum Mow surprised his family and friends by leaving a good portion of his $20 million fortune to charitable institutions. Mr. Loh died of natural causes in December 2016 at the age of 89." Four Singapore charities each received S$840,000 ($815,000 CAD). 6/11/18

  • Late teacher leaves $1M donation for scholarships for special education students at her old school (The HIll) "A New Jersey teacher who died seven years ago is still giving back to her district’s students with disabilities. Dumont Public Schools earlier this year received a $1 million check from the estate of beloved instructor Genevieve Via Cava." 6/11/18

  • Why This Indian Billionaire Is Betting On Education With His Philanthropy (Forbes) "B.R. Shetty built a fortune in healthcare, starting more than four decades ago with a single pharmacy in Abu Dhabi that has grown into a chain of hospitals across the United Arab Emirates. To give back, the Indian billionaire is putting his philanthropic efforts toward education." 6/11/18

  • CUNY to rename journalism school after Craigslist founder’s $20M donation (AM New York) "The CUNY Graduate School of Journalism is being renamed for the founder of Craigslist after he donated $20 million to the institution [...]." 6/11/18

  • ‘Big surprise’: $2m bequest after house sells for $1.4m over reserve (Daily Telegraph) What a fantastic planned giving idea. Love it! "THE Humpty Dumpty Foundation will meet with the executor of the estate of Lorna Blackwood this week after her Double Bay home of 50 years sold for $4,462,000 — more than $1.4 million above its reserve [...]. She had stipulated that once the sale price hit $2 million, the Humpty Dumpty Foundation, which purchases medical equipment for children’s hospitals, would receive everything in excess of that figure, minus costs." 6/10/18

  • Dallas Women's Foundation leadership campaign raises $43 million (Dallas News) "The Dallas Women's Foundation has raised $42.7 million of a $50 million campaign to support its programs that aim to boost the financial security and professional advancement of North Texas women." 6/9/18

  • Mike Copeland: $2.5 million donation creates business program at Baylor law school (Waco Tribune-Herald) "Local attorney Stephen Beard and his wife, Alyce, have donated $2.5 million to Baylor University to create an endowed chair in Business and Transactional Law, with Elizabeth “Beth” Miller named the first chair holder." 6/9/18

  • Donation for new Westminster stadium grows by $1 million (News Tribune) "Go big or go home. That was a decision made recently by Kent and Judy Mueller, who announced earlier this year they would donate $3 million for a new sports stadium at Westminster College." Westminster College is a private, residential, undergraduate college with a curriculum based on the liberal arts. Located in Fulton, Missouri. 6/8/18

  • $50m donation set to transform Cincinnati Zoo (blooloop) What a great gift! "A $50 million donation is set to transform Cincinnati Zoo. Local philanthropists Harry and Linda Fath’s generosity has brought the zoo a third of the way to its $150 million goal for More Home to Roam campaign." 6/8/18

  • Royal Marsden receives largest-ever single donation of £25m (UK Fundraising) "The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust has received a £25million donation towards a new cancer facility. The £25 million lead gift comes from its long-term supporter, Oak Foundation, and takes the Trust’s fundraising total for the new centre over halfway to target." 6/7/18

  • URI: $3M donation to help expand communications program (wpri.com) "The University of Rhode Island's communications program received a generous boost from its namesake [...]. [The] Harrington School of Communication and Media [has] received a $3 million donation from Richard J. Harrington '73 and his wife Jean." 6/7/18

  • LONDON COUPLE MAKES $1 MILLION DONATION TO NEW TOM PATTERSON THEATRE CENTRE (My Stratford Now) STRATFORD STORY "The Stratford Festival’s Spirit of the Tent campaign is getting a boost from a London couple. Andy and Helen Spriet have donated $1 million to the new Tom Patterson Theatre Centre [...]." 6/6/18

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