Monday evening, the Museum of Vancouver played host to the 3rd annual Legacy Awards Dinner that honours individual, families and companies who have shown outstanding vision and commitment to building a city that is ranked as one of the most impressive in the world.
The MOV invited well recognized city historians, urban planners, influencers in the business and philanthropic sector, as well as representatives from the MOV Board of Directors to the selection table. They spent two months reviewing over 50 nominees who have helped mould the city as we know it today and who continue to influence its path to tomorrow.
The 2014 winners were Wade Grant, Dr. Julio Montaner, Morris J. Wosk and Yosef Wosk.
Grant, the son of former Chief Wendy Grant-John and Councillor Howard E. Grant, was presented with the Emerging City Visionary Award for his work bringing together First Nations and New Immigrants, and forging new relationships between Aboriginal people and the City of Vancouver. Dr. Montaner was recognized with the City Shaper Award for his dedication to HIV/AIDS treatment as prevention, resulting in a decrease in infections and mortality. The MOV Legacy Award was presented to Yosef Wosk for his, and his father’s (Morris J. Wosk) extensive history of philanthropic work, benefiting diverse non-profit organizations, both locally and abroad.
Each of the award winners delivered gracious and moving acceptance speeches. Grant reminded guests of the value of multiculturalism; Montaner urged the public to put pressure on the federal government to adopt the UN AIDS treatment strategy; Yosef Wosk read an insightful poem he wrote specifically for the event, entitled ‘Museum as Matter and Metaphor.’
Museum of Vancouver CEO Nancy Noble explained the significance of the award winners: “At the MOV we see the city as a living artifact, and part of that is recognizing the work that has been done by people to make it what it is today. In this third year of awards we’re really starting to see what incredible minds and initiative we have within our city, and we’re excited to be recognizing this group of honourees for their contributions to our city’s story.”
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