Weekly News Recap: October 31, 2025

Weekly News Recap: October 31, 2025

Photo courtesy of the Ottawa Food Bank

For now I ask no more than the justice of eating. -- Pablo Neruda

SOME GOOD NEWS

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. UNICEF Is Bringing Back Its Iconic Halloween Donation Boxes — With a Modern Twist 🎃🧡 (107.5 Kool FM) CANADIAN STORY I am glad to see this and I am curious to see how this plays out. "If you grew up trick-or-treating in Canada, there’s a good chance you remember carrying that little orange UNICEF donation box alongside your pillowcase of candy. You’d collect spare change for kids in need, and feel like a real hero by the end of the night. Well… get ready for a nostalgia rush, because UNICEF is bringing the tradition back — but with a 2025 upgrade. Instead of a cardboard box swinging from your neck, UNICEF Canada is releasing a limited-edition Halloween Box t-shirt — complete with the classic design and a built-in QR code for donations. The idea is simple: parents (or anyone feeling nostalgic) wear the shirt while trick-or-treating, and neighbours can scan to donate on the spot."

  2. VIDEO: Let’s do the time warp again: Why fans still love The Rocky Horror Picture Show (CBC) #Classic (and one of my favourite movies) "Patricia Quinn thought she knew everything there was to know about Rocky Horror fans. The 81-year-old actor originated the role of Magenta in the stage production of The Rocky Horror Show and in the 1975 film adaptation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The story follows a naive couple who enter a nearby castle after their car breaks down during a storm. What follows is a mystifying night of chaos and seduction at the hands of the mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter."

  3. VIDEO: What’s in a name? Sask. town looking to find out by selling naming rights to highest bidder (CBC) DUCK LAKE STORY I am not really sure how I feel about this. "A small Saskatchewan town is looking for a new moniker and hoping to get some much-needed funds in the process. The town of Duck Lake, about 80 kilometers northeast of Saskatoon, is accepting expressions of interest for its naming rights, with the minimum bid set at $10 million."

  4. VIDEO: Amateur engineers built America’s first great infrastructure project (1440) This is such an amazing story. "With no engineering schools in the US, the Erie Canal was designed and built by self-taught amateurs who improvised new methods and became known as the “Erie School of Engineering.”"

  5. ‘A perfect coincidence’: rare red lightning captured in New Zealand skies (The Guardian) This would be very cool to see in real time. "A trio of photographers in New Zealand have captured images of 'red sprites', or red lightning, one of the rarest light phenomena in the world, in which luminous crimson flashes appear in the sky. New Zealand photographer Tom Rae and Spanish photographers Dan Zafra and José Cantabrana set out to shoot the Milky Way over the Ōmārama Clay cliffs in the South Island on 11 October, when they chanced upon the extraordinary event."

  6. Fundraising Wasn’t Built for Women. So We Built Something New (Inside Philanthropy) "When our fundraising journey started in 2024, we knew two things: Philanthropy was shifting, and women donors were at the heart of that change. What we didn’t know was how quickly, and how beautifully, a novel approach to campaigns would transform our work. Everyone is well aware of the transfer of wealth to women underway. What’s talked about less is the need for fundraising tactics, approaches and campaigns to evolve and shift to meet this moment. Women are often unseen in their philanthropic contributions despite making 85% of all philanthropic decisions and being set to inherit 70% of the world’s wealth. According to Kathleen Loehr, author of 'Gender Matters: A Guide to Growing Women’s Philanthropy' and a catalytic leader who’s helped accelerate and scale women’s philanthropy, that’s because traditional fundraising models weren’t built with women in mind."

  7. Karen Reid appointed Chair of the University of Lethbridge Board of Governors (Education News Canada) LETHBRIDGE STORY I worked with Karen on the Lethbridge College campaign a few years back. Congrats to Karen and to the University of Lethbridge. "Currently the Chief Financial Officer at Charlton & Hill Limited in Lethbridge, Reid served on the University's Board of Governors from 2018 to 2024, including in the capacity as Vice-Chair [...] 'The University of Lethbridge is a vital part of our city, our region and our province, and I am honoured to help guide its future in this capacity,' says Reid."

  8. Parks Foundation receives provincial award for Canada’s first dementia-inclusive park (Livewire Calgary) CALGARY STORY Love this. "The Martin Family Legacy Garden, a first-of-its-kind dementia inclusive park in Canada, has received a provincial accolade representing the work done to make dementia patients more connected to the Forest Lawn community. The Alberta Recreation and Parks Association (ARPA) bestowed Parks Foundation Calgary with their 2025 Parks Excellence Award for the park, which is set to fully open to the public in 2026."

  9. Carnegie Corporation launches $20 million initiative for libraries (Philanthropy News Digest) Many Canadian libraries were also started with Carnegie grants. "As part of an initiative to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Carnegie Corporation of New York has announced $20 million in support of Carnegie libraries across the United States. Between 1886 and 1917, Scottish immigrant Andrew Carnegie funded construction of 1,681 free public libraries in the United States. To date, approximately 1,280 libraries still operate and acknowledge their link to Carnegie, making them eligible for the unrestricted gifts of $10,000 to foster civic participation and bring people together."

  10. Misty Copeland to take ballet stage one last time, before hanging up her pointe shoes (ABC) I had a chance spend a few minutes with Ms. Copeland a few years back. I was (and am) in awe. Congrats to her on an inspirational career. "Misty Copeland took one last spin on her pointe shoes Wednesday, showered with golden glitter and bouquets as she retired from American Ballet Theatre after a trailblazing career in which she became an ambassador for diversity in an overwhelmingly white art form. Copeland, who a decade ago became the first Black female principal dancer in the company’s 75-year history, was feted at its star-studded fall gala at Manhattan's Lincoln Center. Oprah Winfrey and Debbie Allen were among those who gave speeches of praise."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. VIDEO: Did You Know The World’s Largest Waterfall Is Underwater? (IFL Science) I did not know we had waterfalls underwater. Very cool.

  2. Why do we yawn? It’s almost certainly not for the reason you think (The Guardian) Now, it makes more sense when I see my dog yawn.

  3. VIDEO: This Military Trick Could Put You to Sleep in 2 Minutes. But Is It Worth It? (Science Alert) I tried this last night -- it kinda worked.

  4. The Enduring Value of Student Newspapers (JSTOR Daily) I love student journalism.

  5. Fly around or make out with your crush: how to start lucid dreaming (The Guardian) I am definitely a fan.

  6. The beauty of batteries (Works In Progress) In case you are hearing that electric cars are only going to put our power plants under more strain, here is a useful counterpoint.

  7. Just Half an Hour Less of Sitting Each Day Can Boost Energy and Metabolism (Good News Network) Time to stand up.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Chan Better World Foundation $2 million donation to the Jim Pattison Medical Campus helps pave the way for Healing Better in BC (St Paul's Foundation) VANCOUVER STORY "Motivated by [...] experiences of compassionate care and a deep belief in the power of research to change lives, the Chan Better World Foundation has made a transformative $2 million gift to St. Paul’s Foundation to help shape the future of health care and discovery across British Columbia, including at the new Jim Pattison Medical Campus."

  2. Local Family Makes $1 million Donation to Guelph General Hospital (Grand 101) GUELPH STORY "As Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, a local family has made a generous donation to the Foundation of Guelph General Hospital. The Barzotti family’s $1 million donation will help expand access to breast cancer screening for the Guelph and Wellington County area, as construction nears completion for the Community-based medical centre on Conestoga College’s Guelph campus."

  3. Ottawa Family Makes Record-Breaking $2.5 Million Gift to the Ottawa Food Bank (Ottawa Food Bank) "As the giving season begins, the Ottawa Food Bank is honoured to announce a historic $2.5 million donation from longtime community builders Franklin Holtforster and his wife, Birgitte Alting-Mees. Their multi-year commitment — the largest in the organization’s four-decade history — will provide $250,000 annually from 2025 to 2035, helping nourish families and individuals across Ottawa."

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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