There is no shortage of response to help Canadian institutions battle the pandemic, both by providing funding to help front-line health-care workers, and to up the ante on research. And on a grand scale. The Temerity Foundation gave the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine $10 million in early April. The funds established the Dean’s COVID-19 Priority Fund. So how do you put that kind of donation into action immediately? You expand the University’s Containment Level 3 facility, you create a COVID-19 Biobank to house virus samples, you figure out how to safely reuse personal protective equipment…and many other major initiatives. Leah Temerty-Lord, the Foundation’s managing director, said, among other things, “We want to support a local network of heroes.” Let’s add Leah’s name to that network. Read more at www.uoft.me/covid
We want to introduce you to Nanuq, Narco, Narley, Neeka, Nelly, Nero, Newman, Nina, Nixon, Niya, Noah, Nova, and Nytro. They’re all recent additions to one family and it’s worth checking them out. You’ll never stop smiling. https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/name-the-puppy-winners. You don’t need a hint do you?
Pay it Forward, Supported by Desjardins: A partnership with La Ruche Quebec
Desjardins is teaming up with the crowdfunding platform La Ruche Quebec to encourage consumers to shop local and support organizations in urgent need across the province. Until August 31, a $1 million budget will support community initiatives and encourage collaboration as part of the Pay it Forward, Supported by Desjardins program. When people buy gift certificates for local stores or make donations to fundraising campaigns, Desjardins will donate an equivalent amount — up to $25,000 — to local organizations. To give the program an extra boost, Desjardins will cover participation fees for local businesses and provide $2,000 for promotional videos about the program.
Canada Post’s parcel delivery operations discovered that a surge in orders meant they had days when their volumes matched the increase usually seen at Christmas. Most retail remained closed and many people were working from home, which meant Canadians were less likely to venture out and more likely to peruse the shopping sites. Add to cart. Click. Add to cart. Click. Checkout. Done. CPC also reduced interactions with buyers by asking employees to knock on doors and ring bells and leave the parcels in the safest place and depart. We hope that at least some of those orders included either portions allocated as donations or were items bought directly from non-profits. And, we wonder, what’s happening to the returns.
The Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservatory appealed for help to feed the Zoo’s animals. The closure of the park meant a complete loss of revenue from parking and admissions, with the facility closed as of March 14th. They asked Canadians to donate $100,000 towards feeding the 5,000 residents and we responded in a very short order by giving more than 5X that amount by mid April. The shortfalls at the Zoo aren’t over though, as programs such as the wildlife breeding and release initiative still need your help. If you want to help, visit the Wildlife Conservancy’s “Ways to Give” page. Dolf DeJong, the Zoo’s CEO, called the outpouring of support for the animals “genuinely overwhelming.” But we say, not surprising. Have you seen those critters? 🙂
Speaking of supporting animals during a human crisis, the Vancouver Aquarium got help from the Vancouver Whitecaps MLS team, who sold more than 57,000 face masks imprinted with their logo. The fundraising campaign was so popular that the site at first crashed and then sales were being made across the country and in countries such as Austria, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal and Britain. It also allowed the manufacturer to keep staff working and bring back those who had been laid off. The Ocean Wise Conservation Association, which operates the aquarium, said “we’re months away from bankruptcy and we need $1 million a month.” So far, that’s how much the masks have brought in already.
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