ABOVE PHOTO: Clockwise Dr. Walter Lomax, Dr. Ruth Wright Hayre, John Chaney, and Dr. David Shulkin
People who have made important contributions to Philadelphia will be honored at the second annual Philadelphia Legacies Awards Dinner 4:30PM, Sunday, October 1 at the Seaport Museum on Penn’s Landing. Organized by Moonstone Arts Center and the Bridging Worlds Mentor Program, the celebration was established in 2016 as an annual observance to strengthen awareness of the city’s diverse cultural heritage and its importance as a destination for visitors from around the world.
Four special honorees or their families will be presented with portraits created by Philadelphia artists Cal Massey and La Reine Nixon. The 2017 honorees are Hall of Fame basketball coach John Chaney; renowned educator/philanthropist Ruth Wright Hayre; physician/philanthropist Dr. Walter Lomax; and Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Dr. David Shulkin.
Historian/bibliophile Charles Blockson; Queen Mother Falaka Fattah, founder of the House of Umoja; inventor/businessman Sherwin Seligshon, and Jerry Wolman, founder of the Philadelphia Flyers were the 2016 honorees.
A portion of the proceeds from the dinner will benefit One Step Away, a newspaper produced and sold by the homeless; The Veterans Group, which provides shelter and services for homeless veterans; National Federation of Black Veterans Network, which counsels and reconnects vets to their communities; and Veterans in Public Service, which helps vets access veterans’ benefits. In 2016, a portion of the proceeds was donated to the House of Umoja and Moonstone Arts Center.
Philadelphia author Stephen Satell, founder of Bridging Worlds Mentor Program, is founder/executive director of Philadelphia Legacy Awards. Members of the steering committee include City Councilpersons Jannie Blackwell, Curtis Jones, and Kenyatta Johnson; State Senator Vincent Hughes; Geno Barbera, Barbera Car Dealership; Norman O’Neill, AFL-CIO; Miller Parker, CEO, Philadelphia Business & Technology Center; Catherine Hicks, NAACP Board Member; Reginald Pollitt, retired banker; businessman Johnny Young, and art consultant La Reine Nixon.
For more information, go to http://philadelphialegacy.org.
Leave a Comment