Help Daniel raise money

COVID-19 has had an enormous impact on so many around the world. An area that is often overlooked given the headlines about case counts, social distancing and economic supports is the non-profit sector focused on education. Overnight, employees and workshop facilitators lost their audience and momentarily became rudderless. Of course, like many other resilient organizations, Scientists in School didn't stand still.

During the summer, virtual versions of community workshops were piloted with a combination of online delivery and kits mailed to libraries and other community locations. Techniques to engage kids online were tested and then, through a Herculean effort, many of the curriculum-aligned workshops that SiS is known for were converted to virtual versions. It's been an enormous undertaking, including the shift to disposable kits. Obviously, some trade-offs were made, and the effort to put together and mail the kits that will be needed for thousands of workshops will continue to be significant.

There is still a lot of uncertainty: Will schools continue to engage Scientists in School for virtual versions of our workshops? Can online delivery be scaled given the number of presenters to train and the skills needed to deliver online? And can we continue to get kids as excited about science virtually as our in-class workshops? Early indications are looking good with positive feedback from kids, parents and teachers. Best of all, assuming SiS can go back to "normal" and deliver our engaging workshops in schools once again, the online versions will help extend our reach to rural or otherwise distant communities. The effort to go virtual will be a benefit for years to come.

In a world of fake news, organizations that foster critical thinking, an understanding of first principles and the ability to reason are vitally important. It's clear to me that Scientists in School needs to survive and thrive to continue its mission. More than ever before, SiS needs our support and the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is a huge part of our annual fundraising success.

This year, like so much impacted by COVID-19, the event is going virtual. What does that mean? Well, I've signed up for a virtual half-marathon and will run the distance myself and then enter my time online. Don't expect heroics! I've gained a "COVID 15" (like the old "Frosh 15") and am working away at that while I train. But all the effort is for a very good cause. Please help me reach my fundraising goal of $2000 by contributing on my fundraising page.

Dan