Weekly News Recap: February 2, 2018

Legendary Edmonton jazz pianist and ex-senator Tommy Banks dies at age 81 (Canadian Press)

Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

AFP's statement regarding sexual harassment

Upcoming events

  • What Canadian Donors Want (AFP) CANADIAN CONTENT A complimentary one-hour webinar on the results from the recent "What Canadian Donors Want" survey. March 1, 12 pm - 1pm MST - Register now. 1/25/18

A big think

  • Why it’s time for visual journalism to include a solutions focus (Witness) Wow! Great read. One of the most important (top ten) articles I have read in last five years. Those of us who work in nonprofits or for NGOs can learn from this. Problem-based cases are 'numbing out' our stakeholders. And 'rainbows and unicorns' cases are also not the answer. Instead, we need to dig deeper. It's easy to use the problem as the focus and it is relatively easy to showcase our organization as the 'hero'. We need to look to the credibility, authenticity, and real hope found in solution-based cases and that...that is harder. In my next life, I am coming back as a journalist. Maybe even a photojournalist. 1/22/18

News

  • New funding from DeepMind to attract top researcher in artificial intelligence to University of Alberta (Edmonton Journal) EDMONTON STORY This, on the heels of Google's previous UofA investment announcement made last July, is a terrific development. Good work everybody. Thank you Google! "Hoping to accelerate developments in artificial intelligence by attracting top research talent, DeepMind has announced funding for an endowed chair in the University of Alberta’s department of computing science." 1/30/18

  • Wood Buffalo Housing signs agreement with Fort Chipewyan Métis (Fort McMurray Today) FORT CHIPEWYAN STORY "A new agreement has the Wood Buffalo Housing and Development Corp. (WBHDC) hoping it will lead to better housing in Fort Chipewyan. The organization says their memorandum with Métis Local 125, which is based in the northern hamlet, will begin a new relationship capable of providing affordable housing in the area [...]. Other agreements in Fort McKay, Janvier and Anzac are also being discussed." 1/30/18

  • University of Calgary president Elizabeth Cannon stepping down by year's end (CBC) CALGARY STORY "The president of the University of Calgary has announced she will resign. Elizabeth Cannon says she will step down at the end of 2018 [...]. Cannon did not give details as to why she plans to step down." 1/29/18

  • ATB Financial head Dave Mowat stepping down (Edmonton Journal) ALBERTA STORY Dave has been a tremendous leader and a huge supporter of Alberta's charitable sector. "The president and chief executive of ATB Financial is stepping down. Dave Mowat, 62, who was hired to run the provincially owned financial institution in 2007, said Monday he plans to retire from his position June 30." 1/29/18

  • A Popular Mississauga Cafe Will Stay Open Due to Substantial Donation (InSauga) MISSISSAUGA STORY Warms my heart. If you get a chance, try to visit this cafe. They deserve our business. "Back in the fall, long standing cafe and community hub Studio.89 announced that [...] unless they got $50,000 from the city to stay afloat, the cafe would have close down in three weeks time. While the cafe lasted beyond the three-week projection, it looks like its immediate future has been secured by a generous donation of $60,000 from the Alkhayyat Foundation Canada—a Canadian-based non-for-profit foundation that provides monetary support to Canadian organizations and educational institutions that work with vulnerable communities in the Middle East and Syrian refugees in Canada." 1/29/18

  • In photos: World's largest land donation spawns spectacular new parks for Patagonia (New Atlas) We first shared this story in our March 24, 2017 recap. "A pledge made last year to forge millions of acres of new national parklands for Chilean Patagonia has come to fruition, with President Michelle Bachelet [formalizing] the handover of what is described as the largest private land donation in history. It marks an important milestone for Kristine Tompkins, who together with her late husband Douglas Tompkins, has devoted decades to preserving the natural beauty of Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia." 1/29/18

  • Title sponsors still sought for some Red Deer facilities (Red Deer Advocate) RED DEER STORY "There’s the — put your name here — Discovery Canyon water park, the yet-untitled City Cultural Services building, and the (still-needs-a-moniker) Northside Community Centre. Corporations that want naming rights to City of Red Deer facilities still have these three high-profile locations to choose from." 1/29/18

  • Chrissy Teigen and John Legend Donate $200,000 to Time's Up on Behalf of 'Heroic' USA Gymnasts (People) Nice move. "Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have opened up their wallets on behalf of all the gymnasts who were sexually abused by former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar." 1/28/18

  • U of C research on masculinity integral to #MeToo movement (660 News) CALGARY STORY Love this. "New research into detoxifying masculinity is underway at the University of Calgary’s Werklund School of Education and it’s the first of its kind in North America." 1/28/18

  • After falling short of 10-year goal, Homeless Foundation touts successes, vows to finish mission (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY "While its goal of ending Calgary homelessness in a decade hasn’t been realized, it’s one that can be achieved, said the head of the agency spearheading the effort [...]. 'We can end homelessness, though the way we defined it in 2008 was unrealistic and now we know why,' [Diana Krecsy, president of the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF)] said [...]. In a [city] that’s grown substantially in the past decade, homeless numbers on a per capita basis are down 26 per cent, while figures provided by the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy indicate stays by adults in emergency shelters have fallen by nearly 40 per cent, she noted." 1/28/18

  • VIDEO: New vision and expansion project at Fort Calgary’s Museum (Global News) CALGARY STORY "Linda McLean, president and CEO at Fort Calgary joins Global News Morning to talk about plans for expansion at Fort Calgary’s museum." 1/28/18

  • Barry and Honey Sherman deaths a targeted double homicide, police say (CBC) TORONTO STORY Horrible. "Toronto police announced today they are investigating the deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman as a targeted double homicide." 1/26/18

  • Legendary Edmonton jazz pianist, ex-senator Tommy Banks dead at 81 (CBC) EDMONTON STORY A musical force. A wonderful man. A great Canadian. RIP Mr. Banks. We will not see your like again. The world of Jazz is diminished. 1/26/18

  • Langley's own Fairy Godmother gathers grad dresses for needy students (CBC) LANGLEY STORY How great is this! "About 40 fancy dresses take up just about all of the closet space at Lizette Etsebeth's home in Langley, B.C. If all goes as planned, her entire inventory will soon be worn by low-income students at their high school graduation parties." 1/25/18

  • YMCAs receive $5M to tackle crime prevention with at-risk youth (CBC) REGINA STORY Brilliant! YMCAs are ideally situated to make a real and early difference in community crime prevention. Nice move. "A new approach to crime prevention is seeing the YMCA reach out and work with children and youth identified as at-risk. The YMCA Plusone mentoring program in [five cities (Montreal, Moncton, N.B., Surrey, B.C., and Regina)] is getting $5 million from the National Crime Prevention Strategy over the next five years." 1/24/18

  • U.S. oil price tops $65 for first time since 2014 (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Welcome (and a little surprising) news. "The price of a barrel of North America's crude oil benchmark topped $65 US for the first time since 2014 on Wednesday, pushed up by new data showing crude inventories have now declined for 10 weeks in a row." 1/24/18

  • SAIT receives $385K grant to study green tech for heating, powering homes (CBC) CALGARY STORY Cool. I mean..hot....er... "The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology received a $385,500 grant Wednesday to evaluate how micro-CHP technology can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and possibly save Albertans money on heating and powering their homes." 1/24/18

  • Northern Alberta First Nation wins support for plan to expand reserve lands (CBC) FORT CHIPEWYAN STORY "An Alberta First Nation cleared an important hurdle in its long fight for additional reserve land Tuesday night when it received support for its proposal to have municipal property declared as reserve land." 1/24/18

  • Canada Winter Games bid opened floodgates of sports tourism in Red Deer (Red Deer Advocate) RED DEER STORY Economic benefits are huge! "Red Deer is quickly becoming a destination for sports lovers. With a recent surge in hosting duties, the city is starting to make noise in provincial and national sporting circles. For the next 10 years, Westerner Park will host the Canadian Finals Rodeo and the 2019 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association’s national men’s volleyball championship will be played in Red Deer." 1/17/18

Books to read

Life and career hacks

Uncommon knowledge

  • How One Typeface Landed on the Moon (Magenta) Fonts are deeper and more pervasive than you think. 1/29/18

  • HOW ONE LIBRARY IS DIGITIZING THEIR ANCIENT OCCULT COLLECTION (Nerdist) Cool gift. "In the summer of 2016, [DaVinci Code author Dan Brown] made a €300,000 donation to Amsterdam’s Ritman Library. That Brown’s quite a fan of these ancient occult texts shouldn’t come as a surprise to most of his fans. He visited the library when he was writing his novels The Lost Symbol and Inferno." 1/28/18

Philanthropic personalities

  • Philanthropy Couple Makes History As NSU Medical School Is Named After Them (WLRN) We have reported on this couple's gifts in the past (in the September 29, 2017 and March 17, 2017 recaps) but the school naming is new news. What a wonderful philanthropic story. "Nova Southeastern University held it’s 20th annual Celebration of Excellence Ceremony Saturday night. But this year, the two guests of honor - and the first Indian Americans to have a U.S. medical school named after them - have made NSU history." 1/28/18

  • True philanthropy: The grace of Raymond Suckling’s $37 million gift (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) "To all appearances, Raymond Suckling was just another retired engineer living a frugal and unassuming life in Sewickley. A lifelong fan of Louis L’Amour Westerns, Mr. Suckling, who died in 2014 at age 93, would have made a worthy subject for a mystery novel. Mr. Suckling had amassed a fortune known only to his accountant. Without a spouse or children, Mr. Suckling left his $37.1 million fortune to the Pittsburgh Foundation to benefit Sewickley-area charities." 1/26/18

Philanthropic controversy

  • Steve Wynn, namesake of University of Iowa vision institute, accused of sexual harassment (Iowa City Press-Citizen) "A billionaire casino mogul and the namesake of the University of Iowa's vision research institute is accused of sexually harassing dozens of his company's employees for decades, according to recent news reports [...]. Wynn committed to donating $25 million to UI in 2013. The funds helped establish the Stephen A. Wynn Institute of Vision Research, named in his honor shortly after the donation. Wynn has already paid $20 million of the promised donation, and the university is scheduled to receive the remaining $5 million [...]." 1/26/18

  • UMKC downtown conservatory loses huge donation (Kansas City Star) "Plans for a University of Missouri-Kansas City Downtown Conservatory have taken a tremendous blow, with a main contributor pulling a pledge to fund nearly a fourth of the $96 million project. The Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation has withdrawn its $20 million pledge, a move that could set back, if not jeopardize, the project. It has been billed as a big boost to the cultural and economic development of downtown Kansas City." 1/26/18

  • St. John’s dropped my name from biz school despite $500K donation: suit (New York Post) "A Wall Street pioneer who is credited with inventing money market funds has sued his alma mater St. John’s University for purging his name from their business school, according to court papers. Bruce Bent gave St. John’s a donation in 1981 to help fund a new business-school building — and he assumed his name would grace the front of the facility forever." 1/26/18

  • Alder Hey and Clatterbridge charities return Presidents Club donations over sexual harassment scandal (Liverpool Echo) Please see related story below. "The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and Alder Hey hospital charities are returning £40,000 of donations by fundraisers at the centre of a sexual harassment scandal. Clatterbridge chiefs plan to give back £15,000 over allegations hostesses were groped and harassed at a recent men-only dinner held by the Presidents Club." 1/25/18

  • Federal Court Says GuideStar Was Within Legal Bounds to Add ‘Hate Group’ Labels (Chronicle of Philanthropy) "GuideStar, the charity-information site, scored a major victory as a federal court ruled it was in legal bounds to put a hate label on a nonprofit’s profile. A federal judge in Virginia dismissed a lawsuit against GuideStar pursued by the conservative Christian legal-defense group Liberty Counsel." 1/24/18

  • Men Only: Inside the charity fundraiser where hostesses are put on show (Financial Times) "A furore has erupted over a men-only fundraising dinner in London for the Presidents Club charity after an FT investigation revealed hostesses at the event were groped, sexually harassed and propositioned. Here is the FT coverage of the event and its aftermath." 1/23/18

Trends and shifts

Large gifts

  • Huge Donation Helps Address Huge Gap In Local Health Care (KAZU) "$105.8-million. That’s how much a single donor is giving local, non-profit Montage Health. The money will create a new youth mental health program and facility for Monterey County [...]. Donor Bertie Bialek Elliot of Carmel says the idea jumped out at her because there’s nothing like it locally. She was an early investor in Berkshire Hathaway, which was founded by her brother Warren Buffett." 1/30/18

  • Salvation Army Receives $50M Rady Donation for San Diego's Homeless (NBC) This gift takes my breath away. "The Salvation Army accepted a $50 million donation [...] in one of the largest charitable gifts ever given to the organization for San Diego's homeless. During a private ceremony, Ernest and Evelyn Rady announced a $50 million lead gift, as part of an $80 million capital campaign designed to transition homeless into homes." 1/30/18

  • $1.4 million dollar donation to aid jail, autopsies (NBC) "The money would provide new jail software and would aid in efforts focused on prosecuting drug dealers [...]. Local law enforcement could see more help tackling the opioid epidemic. Sheriff Howard Buffett is donating $1.4 million dollars to the Macon County Jail, with a portion dedicated to autopsies of overdose victims." 1/30/18

  • Roper St. Francis receives $2.5 million donation to expand bone marrow transplant services (ABC) "A $2.5 million donation from Rodney and Vicki Mott will be going towards Roper St. Francis’ creation of a world-class program for patients undergoing bone marrow transplant and cellular therapy treatments." Roper St. Francis Rehabilitation Hospital is located in Charleston, South Carolina. 1/30/18

  • Sir Owen Glenn's donation to Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre celebrated (New Zealand Herald) "There was plenty of emotion as Sir Owen Glenn shared memories of his late friend Sir Howard Morrison, and spoke about his contribution to his legacy, during a ceremony at Ohinemutu in Rotorua [...]. The millionaire philanthropist, 77, said he was proud to be part of 'any legacy we leave him'. Sir Owen is donating $3 million to the restoration of the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre." 1/30/18

  • Ringling College Receives $15 Million Donation (Sarasota Magazine) "Ringling College of Art and Design president Larry Thompson announced [...] that the college has received a $15 million gift, the largest in its 86-year history. Donated by Ringling College trustee Dr. Joel Morganroth and his wife, Dr. Gail Morrison Morganroth, the donation is earmarked for scholarships, capital improvements, equipment, the Sarasota Museum of Art and a brand-new endowed chair in virtual reality." 1/29/18

  • ECTC receives $1M donation for proposed university center (The News-Enterprise) "History was made [...] at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College as the college received its single largest private donation — a $1 million contribution [...]. ECTC Presi­dent and CEO Juston Pate announced the donation amount from the Dr. Robert E. and Rita H. Robbins Fund of Central Ken­tucky Com­munity Foundation." 1/28/18

  • €10m donation from IKEA Foundation will support Red Cross ‘early warning early action’ in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda (ReliefWeb) "The Netherlands-based IKEA Foundation is donating 10 million euros to assist Red Cross ‘early warning early action’ through innovative preparedness work in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda over a five-year period – focusing on people exposed to droughts and floods, and especially the large refugee populations in all three nations [...]." 1/26/18

  • K21 accepts $1 million donation for Warsaw health (News Now Warsaw) "K21 Health Foundation has accepted a commitment for a $1 million donation from Dr. Rick and April Sasso to promote health and recreation for the citizens of the Warsaw community." 1/26/18

  • Catholic Announces $6 Million Donation to Finance New Dining Hall (The Tower) "[Catholic] University announced exciting news about a $6 million donation from an anonymous couple. This generous and large contribution to the University will go towards the creation of a new state-of-the-art dining hall to be completed by 2020." 1/26/18

  • University Announces $2.28M Invest Syracuse Gift for the College of Engineering and Computer Science (Syracuse University) "Syracuse University Life Trustee William 'Bill' F. Allyn G’59 and his wife, Janet 'Penny' Jones Allyn ’60, have made a $2.28 million gift to the University. Their support was inspired—in part—by Invest Syracuse: Advancing Academic Excellence and Student Experience, a $100 million initiative that seeks to redefine the student experience, advance discovery and innovation and expand opportunity." 1/26/18

  • Anonymous €3m donation to get new UCD athletics track up and running (Irish Times) "After six seemingly hopeless years on the waiting list University College Dublin (UCD) is getting a new athletics track thanks to an anonymous €3 million donation." 1/26/18

  • New donation to Delaware Art Museum may be its biggest ever (Delaware Public Media) "Gerret and Tatiana Copeland are pledging $15 million to the Delaware Art Museum. Gerret Copeland’s Grandmother founded the Delaware Art Museum, and he is current chairman of its board. The gift is the largest donation to the museum in the past 30 years and is suspected to be the largest in its history." 1/25/18

  • Tidelands Health receives $10 million donation (Live5news) "Tidelands Health in Georgetown just announced a multimillion dollar donation to its health system, while also unveiling the new surgery pavilion on its campus. The Yawkey Foundation donated $10 million to Tidelands Health system to help with ongoing improvements to the Georgetown campus." 1/25/18

  • Sewickley nonprofits receive $37 million donation (The Times) "The Sewickley Library and Heritage Valley Sewickley hospital will each receive an annual $500,000 grant thanks to the Pittsburgh Foundation’s second largest donation in the organization’s 73-year history [...] Raymond S. Suckling, an engineering executive and longtime Sewickley resident, donated $37.1 million to The Pittsburgh Foundation, which will be distributed in annual grants to the library, the hospital, as well as Pittsburgh Foundation for programs and services that specifically benefit low-income youth and families in the region around Sewickley." 1/24/18

  • Genesis Philanthropy Group Awards More Than $7 Million to its Partners in North America, Israel, United Kingdom, Europe and the former Soviet Union (prnewswire) "Genesis Philanthropy Group (GPG), the premier global foundation fostering Jewish identity among Russian-speaking Jews, announced that it is awarding its first round of grants in 2018, totaling more than $7 million, to a number of leading international and local Jewish organizations." 1/24/18

  • University of Montevallo receives largest donation to date (University of Montevallo) "The University of Montevallo [announced] a $3.6 million gift bequeathed by Michael E. Stephens, namesake of the Stephens College of Business. This legacy gift, which is the largest gift received in UM’s history, is designated toward construction of a new facility for the Stephens College of Business." The University of Montevallo is a four-year public university located in Montevallo, Alabama. 1/24/18

  • Levine Foundation donates $5M to this N.C. university (Charlotte Business Journal) "The Leon Levine Foundation has made a $5 million commitment to support efforts to grow health education at this N.C. university [...]. Appalachian State says it will name that facility the Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences. It will house the school’s Beaver College of Health Sciences." 1/18/18

  • Logan Paul returns to YouTube with announcement of $1 million donation to suicide prevention (Fox News) "Weeks after receiving immense backlash over an offensive video, YouTube megastar Logan Paul has returned to the platform with a new video, a donation and a pledge to help spread suicide prevention awareness." January 2018

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

The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by ViTreo Group Inc. of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. ViTreo Group does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. All links are provided with the intent of meeting the mission of the ViTreo Group Inc. Please let us know about existing external links which you believe are inappropriate.

Vincent DuckworthComment