Weekly News Recap: June 18, 2021

Weekly News Recap: June 18, 2021

Bryson Kliemann, an 8-year-old from Lebanon, Va., spent two afternoons stationed on his front lawn selling his Pokémon card collection to raise money for his dog's medical treatment. (Kimberly Woodruff)

Tend to the people, and they will tend to the business. — John Maxwell

SEASON 3 OF FUNDRAISING ASK ANYTHING

We are midway through our third season of our popular Fundraising Ask Anything Zoom chats. Our fourth session on millennial giving took place last Friday. Our final session of this season will take place on June 25. Guess what has differentiated success from failure during these times? If you said research, you would be right. Prospective donor research, environmental scans, pro-active and reactive prospective donor profiles: all of these activities have THE difference especially during this time of scarcity. Scattershot asking is not on, laser-focused relationship-building is. Join us as we bring together a conversation with leaders in nonprofit research. Winging it is so 2019. Why knowledge is power and with great power comes great gifts.

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SOME GOOD NEWS

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. New interactive map shares Indigenous arts, language and culture throughout B.C. (CBC) CANADIAN STORY This is brilliant! "Familiarizing yourself with the Indigenous culture in B.C. just became a little easier, thanks to a new map created by the First Peoples' Cultural Council. The online, interactive map divides the province up into Indigenous territories, including some areas where there is overlap, with sections featuring language, art and culture."

  2. Lakeland College is basking in an anonymous 300K donation (My Lloydminster Now) LLOYDMINSTER STORY Congrats to all. "A generous $300,000 gift has been given to Lakeland College and the donor has chosen not to reveal their identity. The gift will support the rebranding of Lakeland’s renewable energy and conservation program which was launched in 2008."

  3. Alberta is offering $3M in lottery winnings to encourage people to get their COVID-19 vaccine (CBC) ALBERTA STORY #MayTheOddsEverBeInYourFavour "Alberta is offering $3 million in cash to encourage more people to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Premier Jason Kenney announced Saturday the launch of the 'Open for Summer' vaccine lottery. Three $1-million prizes will be available for Albertans aged 18 and over who have had at least one dose. Kenney credited Albertans who have already gotten at least their first dose of vaccine for helping the province overcome the spring spike of COVID-19."

  4. El Salvador becomes the 1st country to approve Bitcoin as legal tender (CBC) Someone had to be first. Congrats to El Salvador. Now, who is next? "El Salvador's legislative assembly has approved legislation making the cryptocurrency Bitcoin legal tender in the country, the first country to do so, just days after President Nayib Bukele made the proposal at a Bitcoin conference."

  5. Repsol Sport Centre gears up for major expansion (CBC) CALGARY STORY Congrats. Can't wait. "With other recreational swimming options in the downtown dwindling, the Repsol Sport Centre in Calgary is looking to add new facilities. Earlier this month, city council voted unanimously to dedicate $45 million to add more modern recreational water amenities at Repsol. The operators of the recreation facility at Lindsay Park have been working on plans for years to expand. Now that's being kicked into overdrive by council's decision."

  6. Juneau leaders reject $2 million cruise company donation (Seattle Times) "JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Juneau city leaders have declined a $2 million donation from Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. amid concerns from some Assembly members about the public perception of accepting the money. The company, which operates Norwegian Cruise Line, last month announced plans to donate $10 million total to Alaska port communities with tourist economies hit hard by the lack of cruise ship passengers amid the COVID-19 pandemic."

  7. Ontario pledging $10M to identify and commemorate residential school burial sites (CBC) ONTARIO STORY Great move Ontario! "The provincial government is earmarking $10 million in funding over a three-year span to identify, investigate and commemorate residential school burial sites in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford [announced.] The announcement comes amid growing calls from Indigenous communities for funding and logistical support to search the properties of former residential schools for the unmarked graves of children forced to attend the institutions."

  8. Calgary Stampede outlines plans for safe return amid lingering COVID-19 pandemic (CBC) CALGARY STORY Well, this will be interesting. "Stampede officials say the experience at this year's event will be safe and enjoyable — and quite a bit less crowded than usual. Among the differences visitors to the Stampede can expect are a pre-purchase system for park admission to control crowd numbers and a roughly 25 per cent reduction in the number of attractions and rides on the midway to give people more space."

  9. Calgary Folk Music Festival to return this summer as COVID-aware concert series, officials announce (CBC) CALGARY STORY Can't wait. "After weeks of anticipation, Calgary Folk Music Festival officials announced Tuesday that live music will return to Prince's Island Park this summer — but it will be a different experience because of COVID-19. Executive director Sara Leishman and artistic director Kerry Clarke say the festival, which was cancelled in July 2020 due to the pandemic, will be re-imagined for 2021 as an outdoor concert series called CFMF Summer Serenades."

  10. Keystone XL is dead, and Albertans are on the hook for $1.3B (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "The final cost to Albertans for the Keystone XL pipeline will be about $1.3 billion as the provincial government and TC Energy announced the official termination of the project Wednesday. 'We invested in Keystone XL because of the long-term economic benefits it would have provided Albertans and Canadians,' said Energy Minister Sonya Savage in a news release. The Alberta government agreed last year to invest about $1.5 billion as equity in the project, plus billions more in loan guarantees in order to get the pipeline moving."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Artificial Intelligence Books you should read in 2021 (Data Science) From Kurzweil's "The Singularity is Near" to "AI Superpowers", a great list. And one we all need to be familiar with.

  2. How to Write Tight (Creators Hub) They say great writing is not overthinking and that great editing is taking most of it out. Both are right. Write tight.

  3. What Are The Highest Compounding Life Habits? — 7 Habits That Yield Exponentially High Results (Lukas Schwekendiek) All are great but #1 is the reason this article made it onto this week's list.

  4. 9 Micro-Habits for Better Leadership (Max Klein) #2 and #5 both spoke to me.

  5. Hour-by-Hour Morning Breakdowns of the World’s Greatest Individuals (Masterpieces In Progress) Mornings are the most important part of my day. I protect them like they are gold.

  6. 7 Habits You Can Start Today To Feel Better Immediately (Writers Blokke) Have you freed yourself of grudges?

  7. Organize Yourself in 10 Minutes: It’s the Best Thing You Can Do For Your Creative Work (Entrepreneur's Handbook) What is your process?

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. University of Calgary announces Parker Psychedelic Research Chair (UCalgary) CALGARY STORY #Duh #Psychedelic "The Parker Psychedelic Research Chair, the first of its kind in Canada, is possible thanks to a $3-million commitment by alumnus Jim Parker, BA’90, to The Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education in the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. The Chair’s mandate is to conduct research on the potential use of psychedelics to improve mental health."

  2. Historic $2 million donation made to Perley-Rideau Foundation (CTV) OTTAWA STORY I heart Commissionaires "The Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre Foundation is celebrating the largest philanthropic gift in its history. Commissionaires Ottawa has donated $2 million to the Perley Rideau’s growing Centre of Excellence in Frailty-Informed Care."

  3. Scotiabank donates $2.5 M to Windmill Microlending to help skilled immigrant women (Guelph Today) CANADIAN STORY Go Scotiabank! "Scotiabank says it is donating $2.5 million to Windmill Microlending to help skilled immigrant women with career mentoring and financial support. Windmill Microlending is a not-for-profit working to address underemployment of internationally trained professionals. It offers loans up to $15,000 to pay for the credentials, licensing, training or professional development."

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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