Susie Kololian and Vahan Kololian in 2012.
The donor: Vahan Kololian
The gift: Co-founding the Mosaic Institute
The reason: To build bridges between different communities
As an Armenian growing up in Toronto, Vahan Kololian was taught from a young age to dislike Turks. Animosity between the two cultures is long-standing and Mr. Kololian kept his distance.
But as he grew older, Mr. Kololian's attitude changed. "I thought I didn't want to hate Turks any more," he recalled.
As he pursued a career in the financial world – he currently runs TerraNova Partners – Mr. Kololian and his wife, Susie, created dialogue groups between Armenian and Turkish students in Canada and the United States. That eventually led to the creation of the Mosaic Institute in 2007.
Based in Toronto, the Mosaic Institute works at universities across Canada to bring together people from a variety of backgrounds, in particular those who come from conflict zones. The institute organizes seminars and trips for people from various backgrounds to learn more about another culture. Mr. Kololian has contributed $2-million to the Institute, serves as its chairman and helps raise money to cover the annual $500,000 budget.
"It has been gratifying for myself and my family," he said. "I believe this kind of work is very important."
Paul Waldie