Weekly News Recap: December 11, 2020

Weekly News Recap: December 11, 2020

Benevity president Kelly Schmitt, left, and founder and CEO Bryan de Lottinville, right, announced the deal to staff in style: dressed as unicorns. (Supplied by Benevity)

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this something, at whatever cost, must be attained. -- Marie Curie

VITREO FUNDRAISING ASK ANYTHING ZOOM CHATS

We will be concluding our second season with a drop-in video call on December 18. Our topic: Budgeting in a 65% World. Jerilynn Daniels, with RBC will be joining us as our special guest. You can connect and ask questions of your peers and the ViTreo team. Don’t see a topic that interests or is relevant to you? Don’t worry, join us anyway…we are calling them Ask Anything events for a reason. See you online! Register here

FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE

ViTreo is associated with two podcasts this month. First, I hosted Paula Attfield, Paul Nazareth, Bob Carter, and Martha Schumacher on our annual fundraising and philanthropy crystal ball for 2021 Braintrust Philanthropy Podcast. Second, I was a guest on Cindy Wagman's Good Partnership Podcast where the topic was naming advice for small nonprofits. I hope you enjoy both.

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Bronze tribute to Calgary's wandering turkey in the works (CBC) CALGARY STORY I am fully in support of a statue for Turk. "Efforts have begun to immortalize the late Turk Diggler, a wild turkey whose jaunts through several Calgary neighbourhoods delighted many as the COVID-19 pandemic's first wave upended normal life [...]. Shortly after Turk died in an apparent coyote attack [...] an online petition to erect a statue in the bird's honour [was started]."

  • Calgary man builds scale replica of The Bow building from 8,500 Lego pieces (CBC) CALGARY STORY Cool. #nerdy but...cool. "Roy Nelson is selling a scale replica of The Bow, Calgary's iconic office tower, constructed from roughly 8,500 pieces of Lego. It's a massive, one-metre tall construction that took him more than five years to complete."

  • With gym, pools and other activities closed, backyard ice rinks are booming (CBC) WINNIPEG STORY At our cabin in Saskatchewan, there are four within walking distance on the lake. Likely another eight around the lake itself. "What do you do in the middle of a pandemic, when winter weather has arrived and almost every form of recreation is banned? Build an outdoor ice rink."

  • Calgary Hitmen keep annual Teddy Bear Toss going with physically-distanced donation 'lane' (CBC) CALGARY STORY #ItsRainingBears. I love it! "Hockey fans will not have to give up the December tradition of the Calgary Hitmen Teddy Bear Toss this year — but it just might look a little different. Instead of teddy bears raining down from the stands after the team scores its first goal, fans can toss them from the safety of their cars while watching past highlights on a big screen. The Hitmen have set up Teddy Bear Lane this weekend down at the Saddledome to collect teddy bears for charities around the city."

  • ER nurse writes children's Christmas book to reassure kids COVID isn't cancelling holidays (CBC) CALGARY STORY This is beautiful! Thanks to recap editor Katia Asomaning for sharing this lovely story. "In a year when kids have had birthday parties cancelled and activities changed dramatically, a Calgary ER nurse is doing her best to tell them Christmas won't be called off. Lisa Rutherford, a local nurse, wrote and illustrated the book Hector and the Virus Vector, which tells the story of Hector the Elf and his quest to save Christmas during a pandemic."

  • Putting a Yukon spin on a holiday classic (CBC) YUKON STORY I hope I can hear it somewhere online! "When Diyet van Lieshout was first asked if she wanted to be part of a reimagining of Handel's Messiah, she wasn't sure she wanted to do it. 'For me, it doesn't get more colonial than Handel,' said the classically-trained Indigenous artist from Burwash Landing, Yukon. 'You know, baroque music and the Messiah. I wasn't sure I was really feeling that as a singer ... I said the only way I can feel comfortable is if I turn it on its head.' She did that by changing the story and singing it in her own language, Southern Tutchone."

  • 'Just a real sweet lady': Strathcona community comes together to help Annie the bottle lady (CBC) VANCOUVER STORY We shared Annie's story in a previous recap. We are thinking of you Annie! "Annie, whose real name is Anhi Sy, doesn't speak much English. The 82-year-old moved to Canada in the 1970s and lives in social housing on Hastings Street. She was known for working hard to pick up cans and even leaving candies behind for people. But just a short while ago, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and is undergoing radiation treatment."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. Health Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (CBC) CANADIAN STORY What a relief! Health Canada are my new heroes. I love how the health Canada team stayed up through the night to work on the approval. "The federal government has given the green light to the Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine, a key step toward launching the largest inoculation campaign in Canada's history. Health Canada announced the approval [...] after scientists finished a two-month review of the company's clinical trial data."

  2. Calgary startup becomes corporate 'unicorn' with deal worth $1.1B US (CBC) CALGARY STORY Brilliant! Congrats to all involved. "In the business world, startups valued at over $1 billion US are called 'unicorns' — and thanks to a rare and lucrative deal struck last week, Calgary is now home to one of these majestic creatures. Tech firm Benevity has landed a $1.1-billion US deal with Hg Capital LLP, a British private equity firm that will buy a majority stake in the company. And in what will likely become part of the company's mythology, its founder and CEO, Bryan de Lottinville, and president, Kelly Schmitt, announced the deal to staff in style: dressed as unicorns."

  3. Pilot Chuck Yeager, 1st to break sound barrier, dead at 97 (CBC) I have read many books on Chuck Yeager. He is one of my personal heroes. Fantastic life. Fantastic human. RIP General Yeager. We will not see your like again. "Retired air force Brig.-Gen. Charles (Chuck) Yeager, the Second World War fighter pilot ace and quintessential test pilot who showed he had the 'right stuff' when in 1947 he became the first person to fly faster than sound, has died. He was 97."

  4. The Covid-19 Baby Bust, by the Numbers (Marker) Will they be called baby busters? "300,000 to 500,000: That’s how many fewer babies the think tank Brookings Institution projects will be born in the United States next year. Birth rates in the United States were already steadily declining before the pandemic, but the latest projection is a steep drop from the 3.7 million babies born in 2019, which was 1% lower than in 2018."

  5. Breakdancing gets Olympic status, will debut at Paris in 2024 (Sportsnet) *My 15-year-old daughter is a dancer. She is over the moon. #GoodMoveIOC "Breakdancing became an official Olympic [sport]. The International Olympic Committee’s pursuit of urban events to lure a younger audience saw street dance battles officially added to the medal events program at the 2024 Paris Games."

  6. Ritz-Carlton’s viral donation campaign draws social media backlash (Global News) MONTREAL STORY #Oops "While having a social media post go viral is generally a desired outcome, it can have some unintended consequences, as the Ritz-Carlton Montreal found out this weekend. In an Instagram post, the luxury hotel promised to donate one toy to kids at the CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital for every share. The post, featuring a video for the hospital’s Tree of Lights initiative, quickly went viral, garnering one million shares according to Ritz-Carlton Montreal spokesperson Katia Piccolino."

  7. Canadians' mental health suffering as pandemic approaches nine months (inSauga) CANADIAN STORY Ugh...I share this distress. "According to a recent report from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), the resurgence of the virus amid a second wave of the pandemic has intensified feelings of stress and anxiety, causing alarming levels of despair, suicidal thoughts and hopelessness among Canadians. Based on the findings, 71 per cent of respondents said they were concerned about the second wave, with 58 per cent worried about a loved one or family member dying, and only 21 per cent reported feeling hopeful."

  8. Alberta women living in violence further isolated due to COVID-19, report says (CBC) ALBERTA STORY This is untenable. "The COVID-19 pandemic is making it harder than it already was for Alberta women and their children to escape living situations in which they're experiencing domestic violence, according to a [report]."

  9. The future of giving (Macleans) CANADIAN STORY This is an interesting article and worth reading. It is also worth noting, this coming from a senior Canadian fundraiser and I agree, 'GoFundMe and charities are not mutually exclusive.' "From an office worker donating $20 to a bail fund to help activists arrested for protesting anti-Black racism to a multi-million-dollar family foundation shifting a significant percentage of its dispersion to food banks, Canada’s big, brand-name charities are being bypassed in favour of more targeted donations. This has implications for the future of philanthropy, which is becoming more grassroots, direct and focused on social justice."

  10. The Next Decade Could Be Even Worse (The Atlantic) #Cheery "The fundamental problems [...] are a dark triad of social maladies: a bloated elite class, with too few elite jobs to go around; declining living standards among the general population; and a government that can’t cover its financial positions."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Calgarians share extraordinary photos of ordinary life (CBC) CALGARY STORY Beautiful local pics. "We asked Calgarians to share some of their favourite photography work with us for the potential to be showcased in a gallery at the Create Space house inside the Calgary Central Library."

  2. The Audit Squad - WHEN YOUR COMMS DON’T MAKE GOOD-TO-GREAT MONEY (The Case Writers) This team is amazing! We are fans. "Do you wonder… ? 'Are these expensive, time-consuming donor communications we pump out really all that good? I know they look okay. But could they maybe make a lot more money ... and inspire donors to care far more?'"

  3. Color must be processed before it expresses meaning (UX Design) Colour is complex. And using it properly even more so.

  4. The Best Things About the Worst Year Ever (GQ) Honestly, I can't pick a favourite. They are all amazing. This is a GREAT list.

  5. Best Music of 2020: The Year in Lists (REDEF) So many lists...so little time. A GREAT list of lists. Dig in. Your ears will thank you.

  6. Cognitive Journaling: A Systematic Method to Overcome Negative Beliefs (Better Humans) Yes, pretty nerdy but also...cool.

  7. Improve Your Relationships and Negotiation Skills by Cultivating a Practice of Active Listening (Better Humans) I am still learning. Everyday.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Simon Fraser University alumnus donates $34 million toward scholarship fund (Vancouver Sun) VANCOUVER STORY Boom! Even during this dark time, people are giving. "Simon Fraser University alumnus Lance Uggla, CEO of the London, England,-based financial data giant IHS Markit, has gifted $34.1 million to his alma mater, the largest private donation in the school’s history, to establish a perpetual scholarship fund that will support 10 new undergraduate students every year."

  2. Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell makes $12 million donation for scholarships, new gym at his old school (Salt Lake City Tribune) Nice. "It was announced [...] that Mitchell — along with his mother, Nicole, and his sister Jordan — pledged $12 million to Greenwich Country Day School (GCDS) in Connecticut, which Donovan and Jordan Mitchell attended and where Nicole Mitchell was a teacher from 2007 to ’19."

  3. College led by ex-UNLV president Jessup lands major donation (Las Vegas Sun) "Claremont Graduate University, the Southern California college headed by former UNLV president Len Jessup, has received $14 million from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians in one of the largest donations in the school’s history."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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