Monthly Archives: January 2022

News & Events for the Bay Area Canadian Community

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A newsletter from one of our fellow Canadian organizations in the Bay Area.

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2021 Supporter Report – The Memorial Day Flowers Foundation

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An item from a fellow veterans organization in the Bay Area.

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Dear Michael,

It is hard to believe that a decade has passed since the first 10,000-flower tribute at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC). Since then, the Memorial Day Flowers Foundation has held events every year, even during the most difficult times of the pandemic.  These tributes are only possible thanks to the ongoing support from the network of sponsors, donors, and volunteers.

We would like to share our accomplishments from 2021 with our community.
WEEK OF MEMORIAL DAY, 2021
The first large event of the year was held during Memorial Day Weekend.  In the weeks of preparation, over 250,000 flowers were procured. Some flowers were purchased from farms in Colombia and importers in Miami, while others came in as donations from Californian, Colombian, and Ecuadorian growers: Passion Growers, CalFlowers, Queens Group, Ocean Breeze International, Kitayama Brothers, Hilltop Flowers, and RosaPrima.

All the California flowers were brought from Lansdale, PA to Arlington by Younger & Son, and Armellini Express Lines trucked the Latin American roses from Miami to ANC.

Nationwide – Tribute Box Program: Delivered by Thursday, May 27, 2021

Across the country, Peraton employees who took part in the Matching Funds Tribute Box Program received a box with 125 roses.  Participating associates and their families visited their local cemeteries and placed flower tributes at military graves.

Alexandria National Cemetery Saturday, May 29, 2021

Associates from Peraton placed a flower and said a few words of thanks to every hero interred at Alexandria National Cemetery, one of the precursors to Arlington. Through four hours of chilly rain, fifteen volunteers focused on placing a flower at each of the 5,500 headstones at the cemetery.

Arlington National Cemetery – May 30 through 31, 2021

ANC administration worked closely with MDFF to get back to a sense of normalcy in flower placement and Welcome Center flower handouts.  2021 was the second year of the Gold Star Program, handing small tote bags of 25 complementary flowers to Gold Star Families as they entered on Memorial Avenue. This provided sponsors the unique opportunity to directly interact with families visiting their interred loved ones.
Over the course of Memorial Day Weekend, volunteers and families placed more than 200,000 flowers at headstones throughout the cemetery.  Flowers were distributed at:

  • Memorial Avenue
  • ANC Welcome Center to all visitors entering the cemetery
  • Sponsored sections throughout the cemetery
  • Section 60 on Memorial Day

The eighteen Core Volunteers, most of whom take time every year to help, ensured that the events ran smoothly.  Registered volunteers and visitors were instrumental in placing flowers at all the different sections.

Victory for Veterans: May 30 – 31

In the sixth year of its partnership with MDFF, Victory for Veterans used the Memorial Day events to raise funds for their Veteran Suicide Prevention Centers in their communities.  In 2021, their organizers and volunteers placed over 30,000 flowers at six different cemeteries throughout the country.  Find out more about Victory for Veterans on their website.

Fort Custer Michigan – May 30

For the fifth consecutive year, Plumeria Floral Designs held a flower tribute event at Fort Custer National Cemetery, placing over 3,500 flowers at the graves of our heroes.

Fort Custer Michigan – May 30

For the fifth consecutive year, Plumeria Floral Designs held a flower tribute event at Fort Custer National Cemetery, placing over 3,500 flowers at the graves of our heroes.
Memorial Day at Alexandria National Cemetery
Gold Star Program at ANC
Flower Tribute at ANC
MDFF and T.A.P.S. 2021
WEEK OF VETERAN’S DAY, 2021

#TUS100 at ANC

This year, the Foundation had the unique opportunity to take part in commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.  Over sixty thousand flowers were placed around the Tomb Monument, placed by thousands of visitors on the two days leading up to Veteran’s Day.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Alexandria

The Foundation, along with Peraton volunteers, participated in an intimate ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution.  The monument can be found in the small cemetery behind the historic Old Presbyterian Meeting House in Alexandria, VA.  After a few words of prayer from a church official, flowers were given to all attendees to place around this historic monument.

Bouquets for Veterans

For the first time, the Foundation made bouquets available to residents and staff at two veteran retirement communities in the Washington DC area, Vinson Hall Retirement Community and the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington DC.  Over one thousand bouquets were brought to these retirement communities, paid for with donations from our readers and supporters.
With your help, for every dollar donated, a volunteer will place or hand out a flower at Arlington National Cemetery during Memorial Day Weekend 2022.  We invite you to join us this upcoming Memorial Day.
DONATE
Send us an email if you or your organization would like to be more involved in Memorial Day 2022. We have several programs to fit various budgets.

Our Corporate Sponsors

The Memorial Day Flowers Foundation is able to continue with its mission thanks to our incredible network of supporters and individual donors.

Partner

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Supporting California Growers
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#MemorialDayFlowers #BringYourOwnFlowers #HonoringVets
Copyright © 2022 Memorial Day Flowers Foundation, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in either through our website, when you volunteered, or when you made a donation.

Our mailing address is:

Memorial Day Flowers Foundation

781 Beach St Ste 302

San Francisco, CA 94109-1245

🇨🇦 Get to know C100’s newest Charter Members | 📣 We’re Hiring! | 🌴 Announcing C100’s next Chapter

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A newsletter from one of our fellow Canadian organizations in the Bay Area.

TL;DR ON TODAY’S EMAIL

  • C100 Fellows 2022 Application Update
  • Get to know the 7 leaders who joined the C100 Charter Membership in 2021
  • First look: where will C100’s next Chapter be? Here is a hint: 🌴  😇 ⭐️
  • C100 is Hiring a Marketing & Communications Associate
  • Community events and insights
  • Canadian tech news & Members who made headlines

FELLOWS SELECTION PROCESS IS UNDERWAY

Thank you all for your involvement and support with the search for who will make up the 2022 cohort of C100 Fellows. We’re thrilled to say that there were over 450 applications! This week, our esteemed Selection Committee (made up of founders, investors, and senior leaders in the C100 Membership and Partner communities) gathered to review this competitive group of applicants. Next up: the interview round.

MEET THE SEVEN CANADIAN TECH LEADERS WHO JOINED THE C100 CHARTER MEMBERSHIP IN 2021

Who is a C100 Charter Member you ask? In short, they belong to a by-invitation cohort of the C100 Membership, united in the mission to inspire and advance the next generation of Canadian entrepreneurship and leadership in tech.

Get to know the seven tech leaders who joined the C100 Charter Membership in 2021; David Baga (CEO, Even), Jen Lee Koss (Founding Partner, Springbank Collective), Andrew Lindsay (SVP Corporate and Business Development, HubSpot), Jack Newton (Founder & CEO, Clio), Michele Romanow (Co-Founder & President, Clearco), Joanna Lee Shevelenko (General Partner, f7 Ventures), and Benji Shomair (VP, Commerce & Go-To-Market at Meta).

C100’S NEXT CHAPTER LAUNCHES THIS MARCH!

You heard it here first: the next C100 Chapter to launch is C100 Los Angeles! Stay tuned for a launch event taking place at the end of March for Members of this Chapter (and those in town!).

Do you know a Canadiant tech founder, operator, or investor building in Los Angeles? If that is you or someone you know, we invite you to apply using the link below!

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE

Do you know an energetic, detail-oriented, entrepreneur-loving person that would be a perfect fit to join C100’s Marketing Team?

The ideal person for this position is a “Jack/Jill of all trades” that is passionate about the startup scene and uplifting global Canadian tech leaders. They know how to tell a great story, have excellent business communication skills (especially written), and embrace the special balancing act of creative development and data-driven growth. Learn more about the role here or using the link below.

FROM THE COMMUNITY

Events & Op-Eds by the community, for the community.

FEB 9 | WEBINAR: THE STATE OF FUNDING FOR BLACK ENTREPRENEURS IN CANADA

Rep Matters, a Real Ventures’ initiative, is hosting a webinar focused on the current state of funding for Black entrepreneurs in Canada. Learn where progress has been made, what gaps still exist, and how we can continue to build on efforts to create a more inclusive tech ecosystem. Real Ventures is a proud C100 Corporate Partner >> REGISTER HERE.

📝  “A FOUNDER’S STORY: FROM COLLEGE TO THE NASDAQ IN 8 YEARS

Francis Davidson, Co-Founder & CEO of Sonder (and C100 48Hrs Alumnus ’15), shares his founder journey, from dropping our of college in Montréal, growing a hospitality disruptor out of the Bay Area, going through the worst crisis the industry has ever faced, to now entering the public markets. >> READ IT HERE

COMMUNITY UPDATES

🤝 Walmart-backed fintech Hazel has signed a definitive merger agreement with Even and ONE, expected to operate collectively under the ONE brand. Hear from David Baga, CEO of Even (and C100 Charter Member), who breaks down more about this deal.

✈️  Montréal-based Hopper (led by Frederic Lalonde) has added short-term home rentals to its app offering, placing it directly in the sights of AirB&B. ICYMI: Hopper secured more than $400-million across three separate financing rounds in 2020 and 2021, boosting its valuation to $3.5-billion. | Globe and Mail

🎉  New York-based Diversio has raised a $6.5M Series A led by First Round Capital, Golden Ventures (C100 Corporate Partner), and Chandaria Family Holdings Series. Diversio, led by Laura McGee (C100 Member & Fellow ’21), is a data-driven people intelligence platform that measures, tracks, and improves diversity, equity, and inclusion for organizations.

🛎  Sonder, led by Francis Davidson (48Hrs Alumnus ’15), has debuted on the Nasdaq ($SOND) after completing its previously announced combination with Gores Metropoulos II, a California-based SPAC.

🔥  Last year, British Columbia saw investments increase 316% with a total of $662M across 35 deals in the province, the second-largest investment increase in Canada (Toronto 354%).  This article from BetaKit interviews Chris Neumann to breakdown some of the successes seen in the region (C100 Member).

🤖  Toronto-based AI company BenchSci, led by CEO Liran Belanzon (C100 Member & 48Hrs Alumnus ’17), has raised $50-million to help further how scientists find the right chemical compounds for preclinical biomedical research.

🥗  Globe & Mail: Canadians flocking to food rescue apps to reduce grocery bills and waste (ft. Toronto-based startups Too Good To Go, Flashfood and Feedback).

🤝  Vancouver-based enterprise software banking fintech Zafin has made its latest acquisition of Surrey-based FinancialCAD Corp. for $32.7-million.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

FOUNDATIONAL PARTNERS

CORPORATE PARTNERS

C100 Association | 🌎  Canadians Everywhere

RAF Wick Gate Guardian Project

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As many of our members are former air force, this RCAF Association item may be of interest to some.

The RCAF Association Trust Fund has formally offered its support to the Royal Air Force (RAF) Wick Gate Guardian (Spitfire Restoration) Project. RAF Wick was home to many RAF units and squadrons four of which were Royal Canadian Air Force. You can learn much by visiting YouTube at the following link: 

https://youtu.be/To3GNmUkkZ0

Some 379 personnel lost their lives while operating from RAF Wick, including 34 members of the RCAF.

One particular casualty whose loss is now a central figure in the RAF Wick Gate Guardian Project is Flying Officer Alastair Gunn, RAFVR, who flew photo reconnaissance Spitfires from Wick. He was shot down over Norway, near Trondheim, while looking for the battleship Tirpitz. He was captured, and sent to Stalag Luft III as a prisoner-of-war. While there he was one of 75 men behind the “Great Escape” and Alastair was one of 50 executed by Adolf Hitler – a war crime for which the coward avoided prosecution himself when he committed suicide, as Berlin fell to the allies.

The RCAF Association Trust Fund supports this important project to restore Alastair Gunn’s Spitfire, which was recovered from a peat bog in Norway in July 2018.

If you would like to donate to this very special project, please visit the RCAF Association Trust canadahelps.org donation page here at this link. All proceeds will be forwarded to the Wick Trust in the UK, to help them reach their goal of 60 thousand pounds sterling.

This e-mail was sent from Royal Canadian Air Force Association (rcaf_list@airforce.ca)