Weekly News Recap: December 27, 2024

Weekly News Recap: December 27, 2024

Swift Current nurse Jordan Wiebe decorates a door inside the Cypress Regional Hospital's ambulatory care unit with the face of Dr. Francisco Garcia, a urologist, for the staff-run holiday decorating contest. (Bonnie Allen/CBC)

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. — C.S. Lewis

This is the last recap of 2024. Thank you all for subscribing and reading over this past year. Our team at ViTreo is proud to have worked with 35 clients in 2024, representing missions that make critical differences in our world.

We worked alongside clients to raise more money for climate action, animal welfare, better health outcomes (physical and mental), improved lives through education, community and youth programs, specialized services for marginalized persons, better safety and security for victims of domestic violence and child abuse, improved facilities for seniors, preservation and celebration of Canadian culture, and countless other critically important social and societal outcomes.

We also helped clients extend and reposition their brands, set their strategic directions, and better take care of their donors by understanding their journey and how to best recognize their gifts.

We look forward to doing this and more in 2025! To all of you on this journey with us, Happy New Year! See you next year!

SOME GOOD NEWS

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. Scientists Quantified The Speed of Human Thought, And It's a Big Surprise (Science Alert) It really is incredible how slow we actually think (and yet, we have survived...so far). "The speed of the human brain's ability to process information has been investigated in a new study, and according to scientists, we're not as mentally quick as we might like to think. In fact, research suggests our brains process information at a speed of just 10 bits per second."

  2. Middle Children Found To Be More Cooperative, New Study Shows (NewX) CANADIAN STORY Being married to a middle child, I can corroborate this finding. Middle children will save the world (note: I am one of those 'awful' first borns). "After decades of conflicting theories, some recent studies have ruled out the idea that birth order is a strong factor in determining personality. But a groundbreaking new study released on Monday claims that, after all, birth order might be an influence on certain personality traits—namely cooperation."

  3. It was Grandma, in the café with a Scrabble tile: Game cafés are big holiday business (CBC) CANADIAN STORY We play a ton of games over the break. "It's the holidays, which means for many across the Prairies, there's no better time to get locked in a dungeon with a dragon. Or smoke out Colonel Mustard in the billiard room with the revolver. Or — in the case of Janet Gutierrez and Katy Cadman — lay that magical X tile on a triple-letter score [...] Board gaming and the board gaming business tend to peak as families and friends gather for the holidays. But, like everything else, it's at the mercy of economic and geopolitical peaks and troughs."

  4. Regina now home to Canada's first 'sustainable' Tim Hortons (CBC) REGINA STORY #MorePlease "After 60 years, Tim Hortons has opened its very first sustainable restaurant in Canada and has chosen Regina as the location. The store, located in the Greens on Gardiner neighbourhood in the southeast are of the city, is owned by a Saskatchewan's Di Stasi family [...] Di Stasi said the building was designed in partnership with Tim Horton's head office with a goal of minimizing the environmental impact. Some of the features include the use of low-carbon concrete and a rainwater harvesting system for outdoor irrigation."

  5. This Alberta town has mountains on one side, Calgary on the other — and some big growing pains (CBC) COCHRANE STORY We love Cochrane but it is under a bit of growth stress. "Tucked away in a picturesque river valley at the foot of the Rocky Mountains is the town of Cochrane, Alta. A short drive from Banff National Park to the west and the city of Calgary to the east, it has become the fastest-growing community in Canada's fastest-growing province."

  6. VIDEO: Out-of-office emails are getting a refresh — and helping employees set work-life boundaries (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT #TakeABreath #LOLZ "An out-of-office email used to only need a few things — the fact that you're away from work, what day you'll return and who to contact in the meantime. Not anymore. Rather than a copy-and-paste message, employees have given the humble out-of-office reply a revamp. 'Until Thursday, just pretend I don't exist,' reads one shared by Canadian content creator Laura Whaley. She gathered examples submitted by her millions of followers. Another says, 'For any urgent matters, please take a deep breath because only a few are.'"

  7. More than 5,000 hopefuls register to retrieve their inscribed bricks from Olympic Plaza (CBC) CALGARY STORY Stewardship matters. "There's no guarantee that those who registered for the Olympic Plaza brick retrieval program will get their inscribed mementos back — but that didn't stop more than 5,105 people from trying anyway. The City of Calgary and the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) offered to return the bricks that lined the plaza's surface to the original purchasers, or to those with ties to them. It was a reversal of course following the initial announcement that the artifacts would not be salvaged during Olympic Plaza's transformation project due to age, wear and cost-related issues."

  8. VIDEO: Twin sisters from Gaza killed after being accepted into University of Waterloo PhD program in Ontario (CBC) LONDON STORY This is heartbreaking. Our thoughts are with the families of all those who suffer because of war. "The University of Waterloo community is mourning after Palestinian twin sisters accepted into a PhD program at the southern Ontario school were killed this month in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war."

  9. The rise of touchscreens pushed buttons out of vogue. But they're making a comeback (CBC) #LongLiveTheButton "The rise of smartphones, tablets and electric vehicles has pushed buttons out of many design interfaces. In their place are touchscreens, voice activation and motion sensors galore. But according to consumer trend watchers, buttons are making a comeback."

  10. Fascinating Olive Oil Museum Designed by Philippe Starck (Moss and Fog) This is beautiful. "In the rolling hills of Ronda, Spain, Philippe Starck has reimagined the olive oil mill with LA Almazara, a striking 30-meter-tall red cube that fuses ancient tradition with bold surrealist design."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. 5 New Year Changes That Will Actually Make A Difference To Your Life (Mr. Porter) What will be YOUR creative practice for 2025? I am still figuring mine out.

  2. VIDEO: How do amplifiers actually work? (Far Out Magazine) I wanted to know so...now you do as well.

  3. Do Fish Drink? (IFL Science) This reminds me of the (in)famous phrase: 'I don't drink water, fish XXX in it.' All kidding aside, this is pretty cool.

  4. 7 Books of Spiritual Wisdom You Want to Read (Books Are Our Superpower) I will be reading a few of these in 2025.

  5. Your Comfort Zone Is Where Dreams Go to Die (Personal Growth) John, once again, you ground me.

  6. The Ultimate Care Guide For Coat And Jacket Maintenance (Mr. Porter) Coats are some of the most important (and expensive and fashionable) clothing items we will ever own. This guide is helpful.

  7. VIDEO: Here’s a military trick that can help you cool down in minutes, even in scorching heat (Upworthy) File this away for the middle of July. You're welcome.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. VIDEO: Novi man honoring wife with $1 million donation to senior living community (YouTube) "Bob Williams is honoring his late wife, Diane, by donating $1 million to a memory care program in Novi she received care at."

  2. The Slaight family commits to fighting hunger with $10 million donation to food programs across Canada (Farms.com) CANADIAN STORY "The Slaight family reaffirmed their commitment to tackling food insecurity [...] with a generous donation of $10 million to food charities ahead of the holiday season. This transformative gift, which includes donation from both The Slaight Family Foundation and a personal contribution from Gary Slaight, will provide critical food support to communities across Canada."

  3. Hobart and William Smith announces $25 million gift for new Fish Center for the Sciences (Philanthropy News Digest) "Hobart and William Smith Colleges have announced a $25 million donation from alumna Cynthia Gelsthorpe Fish ’82, L.H.D. ’23, and John F. Fish to support the construction of a new integrated science center. The facility [...] will serve as a hub for STEM education and interdisciplinary collaboration on campus."

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 President & CEO Vincent Duckworth. If you would like to submit a link for consideration, please send an email to info@vitreogroup.ca

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