Weekly News Recap: August 24, 2018

Cassidy Evans, right, and her sister Lucia Evans, working at Cassidy's Lemonade Stand. (Submitted/Kimberly Evans)

I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.— Albert Einstein

Lists of lists

News

  • Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer cancelled due to poor air quality from smoke (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "This year's Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer has been cancelled due to poor air quality in Alberta. Nearly 1,900 riders started the two-day event Saturday morning, however deteriorating air quality due to smoke from wildfires in B.C. forced organizers to call it off." 8/18/18

  • Saskatoon girl's lemonade stand raises $40K for cystic fibrosis research (CBC) SASKATOON STORY I heart this story. "Cassidy Evans was only five years old when she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. But she refused to let the diagnosis get her down, and instead decided to try to do something about it. Five years after setting up a lemonade stand, the Saskatoon girl has raised $40,000 for research into the inherited genetic disorder." 8/17/18

  • Brothers honour late father with land donation for Newfoundland's newest nature reserve (CBC) NEWFOUNDLAND STORY "The Nature Conservancy of Canada is adding a 79-hectare nature reserve to its list of protected areas in western Newfoundland thanks to a donation from two brothers. The Barachois Brook Nature Reserve borders Barachois Pond Provincial Park and surrounds just over two kilometres of Barachois Brook, an Atlantic salmon river. Ralph and Fred Carter donated a portion of the land to the Nature Conservancy of Canada in memory of their father, Fred Carter Sr." 8/17/18

  • Calgary Drop-In Centre names Sandra Clarkson as executive director (CBC) CALGARY STORY Congrats Sandra! "'I think this is the beginning of an exciting new era for the DI,' said Tim Richter, president and CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, in a statement. 'With awesome staff, a great board, supportive funders and a visionary new leader in Sandra, the Calgary Drop-In Centre could become an engine of ending homelessness in Calgary, and a leader in the movement to end homelessness in Canada.'" 8/16/18

  • Rosebud brings classic sound to prairie towns (Regina Leader Post) ROSEBUD STORY "Classical music filled the air in Three Hills with the kickoff off the Rosebud Chamber Music Festival [...]. The Rosebud Chamber Festival was established six years ago Keith Hamm, with the goal of bringing live classical chamber music to the prairies not typically seen in the area." 8/14/18

First Peoples of Canada

  • Dancing to a heartbeat: A visitor's guide to powwows (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "Until 1951, powwows were banned by the Canadian government under the Indian Act, but then the tradition, with origins on the western plains, spread to the East Coast. Now, many First Nations hold powwows, and they're open to everyone. Each is as different as the dances and drumming, but here is some help following the action." 8/16/18

Books to read

  • Strategic Philanthropy Reconsidered (Stanford Social Innovation Review) "Paul Brest and Hal Harvey’s substantially revised second edition of Money Well Spent shows they have listened to their own new experiences, their critics, and many other scholars and practitioners." Fall 2018

Life and career hacks

Philanthropic personalities

  • AFP Member Spotlight: Ken Kissick, Founder, Streets Alive Mission (AFP eWire) CANADIAN STORY Nice spotlight on one of our favourite people. ViTreo is proud to be working with Ken and Streets Alive Mission. "Raised on a farm in Southern Manitoba and strongly influenced by his maternal grandfather, Ken learned the value of community and caring for your neighbor early in life. He has been married to Julie (the visionary and co-founder of Streets Alive Mission) for 46 years and together they have 3 children, 4 grandchildren and 4 labradoodles. Ken and Julie live in Lethbridge, Alberta, and in 2012 were both awarded the Queen’s Jubilee medal for their work with the less fortunate." 8/14/18

Philanthropic controversy

  • National Geographic says it 'went too far' with emaciated polar bear video (CBC) "One year after a controversial video linked an emaciated polar bear to climate change, National Geographic has published an article on what went wrong. Written by SeaLegacy co-founder Cristina Mittermeier, the article published in National Geographic's August issue says the conservation organization 'lost control of the narrative' surrounding the footage. It also says National Geographic 'went too far' with the opening video caption that stated 'this is what climate change looks like.'" 8/17/18

  • Schnatter's Alma Mater Votes To Remove Name, Return Donation (NBC) "Ball State University will remove the name of alumnus and Papa John's founder John Schnatter from a business institute because of his use of a racial slur." 8/17/18

  • USDA to purchase $50 million in milk, give it to food banks (Star Tribune) "The federal government’s plan to buy $50 million in U.S. milk and give it to food banks is welcome news for struggling dairy farmers, but it’s not viewed as a long-term solution for the nation’s oversupply of milk." 8/16/18

  • Committee to decide how millions in Humboldt Broncos donations are split (National Post) CANADIAN STORY " Lawyers for the families of some of those who died in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash were in Saskatchewan court Wednesday arguing that expenses alone should not be the only factor in dividing up funds raised in a multimillion-dollar GoFundMe campaign. A judge granted $50,000 interim payments to each of the survivors and to the families of those who died and approved a committee to guide the rest of the donations." 8/15/18

Trends and shifts

  • How Millennials Are Changing Philanthropy (Forbes) "Today, millennials make up about one-third of the workforce. Gen X is another third and baby boomers are a shrinking 25%. By 2020, millennials will represent more than half of all workers. That’s a monumental and rapid shift — and it’s all taking place right now." 8/15/18

  • One of the Country’s Largest Foundations is Trying to Change How Philanthropy Works (Inside Philanthropy) This is a hugely important move. "In 2016, the Ford Foundation set out on an experiment—give $1 billion to social justice nonprofits, with all funds going to a combination of general operating support and organizational strengthening [...]. Now, two years in, Ford’s BUILD initiative is hitting its stride and starting to see results[.]" 8/14/18

  • "A Better Society." Explaining Another Big Campus Gift for Philosophy (Inside Philanthropy) "Roughly six months after finance titan Bill Miller's $75 million donation to Johns Hopkins University's philosophy department, UCLA received $20 million to support its own philosophy department, plus $5 million for funding to create a $15 million endowment to provide financial support for graduate students in the humanities division. Are we on the cusp of a philosophy giving golden age?" 8/13/18

Large gifts

  • Jimmy Fallon appearance results in $1M donation to St. Jude (Memphis Business Journal) "A recent golf game on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon has resulted in a $1 million charitable donation to St. Jude. Pro golfer Justin Thomas, the 2017 FedExCup champion, appeared on NBC’s late-night talk show Aug. 15, competing against Fallon in a friendly game of “Facebreakers.” The first person to break all of the glass panels with their opponent's face etched into them — by hitting golf balls at them, of course — was the winner. Thomas walked away victorious, and Memphis-based FedEx Corp. made a $1 million donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in his honor." 8/16/18

  • Photos: Union Pacific's $1M+ donation will help Utahns party like its 1869 (Deseret News) "The railroad announced a $1 million-plus donation to help Utah celebrate the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, which was commemorated by joining the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads with a golden spike at Promontory Summit on May 10, 1869." 8/16/18

  • Airbnb makes $10M donation to nonprofit groups in New York (New York Business Journal) "Last month, Airbnb hosts convened at City Hall to protest new legislation that would require the platform to submit people's personal information to the government and violate hosts' privacy. Today, the San Francisco-based company announced a goodwill initiative by gifting $10 million to local nonprofit groups. Dubbed 'A Fair Share,' the initiative will represent one-tenth of the tax revenue state officials are leaving on the table 'by not passing common sense home sharing regulations,' Airbnb announced in the statement." 8/15/18

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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