FOURTEEN British Columbians who have made the province a better place were awarded the Order of B.C. in a ceremony on Thursday, including a West Vancouver artist and a North Vancouver philanthropist.
Rick Harry (Xwalacktun) was born and raised in Squamish and studies at Emily Carr College of Art and Design and Capilano College. He has had a 30-year career as an artist and cultural ambassador. His work in wood, glass and steel can be found at the entrance to Ambleside Park, on the doors of the Capilano Reserves new recreation centre, and the Squamish Nations council table.
Harry has been commissioned to create carvings by galleries in New York and New Hampshire, and has been featured on television programs including Sesame Street. For 10 years, Harry has travelled to Scotland to teach totem pole carving.
Djavad Mowafaghian left Iran in 1978 and settled in Vancouver in 1986. He is the founder of V1500 Holdings, a B.C. real estate and development company. In 2003, he created the Djavad Mowafaghian Foundation.
Through the foundation, Mowafaghian has given $45 million to health and education causes, including $4 million to Lions Gate Hospital and $6 million to B.C. Childrens Hospital. He has also made large donations to Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia.
