BURNABY – The 2017 Thakore Visiting Scholar Award, which is presented annually to outstanding persons who have made the welfare of society their lifetime work, will this year honour a man who has dedicated his life to youth fighting battle with drug and alcohol addition.
Thakore Charitable Foundation, The Institute for the Humanities and the J.S. Woodsworth Chair in the Humanities at Simon Fraser University celebrates the 26th annual Gandhi Jayanti Celebration with an award to John Volken for his work in helping provide long-term residential drug and alcohol addiction treatment and life-skills training to young men and women ages 19 to 34 recover from addiction.
As one of the world’s most recognizable figures of non-violence, Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.” John Volken started out as a poor immigrant to Canada and ended up building The United Furniture Warehouse. His interest was to not only give back using his money, but to ensure it made a difference. He sold his company and put ~$100 million into his foundation. After research trips to visit Europe and United States to understand working models and key factors for success he realized that treatment time for addiction is measured in years, not months. His idea was to improve people’s lives and set them up for success in life as a whole person, rather than fix a small part of them. It’s his dedication to this idea that follows in Gandhi’s footsteps to help those marginalized and care for them. His 3 recovery centres (Vancouver, Phoenix and Seattle) were the result of his dedication to support addiction treatment, along with Lift the Children, which helps the poorest of the poor in Africa in their struggle not only to survive, but also to become self-sufficient.
Mahatma Gandhi and his legacy have been honoured at Simon Fraser University since the unveiling of his memorial bust in the Simon Fraser Peace Square in 1970. Each year the Gandhi Jayanti celebration brings members of the local Indo-Canadian community together with others who wish to salute his memory and honour his ideals. Along with its local focus, Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated nationally and internationally.
The celebration will be in the form of two separate events (both events are free and open to the public):
- The Garlanding Ceremony will be held on October 2nd, 2017 at the bust of Mahatma Gandhi located in the Peace Square on the SFU Burnaby campus (south side level 3 of the Academic Quadrangle) from 6:45pm – 7:30pm. Note parking at SFU Burnaby campus for the garlanding ceremony is free in the parkade under the convocation Mall. For directions, parking instructions and more information about these events, please visit www.gandhijayanti.com.
- The Gandhi Commemorative Lecture and presentation of the 26th Thakore Visiting Scholar Award and the annual Gandhi Student Peace Award on October 3rd, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the SFU Harbour-side (downtown) campus (515 West Hastings). More information is provided on the Gandhi website (www.gandhijayanti.com)
