You don’t have to be a high-profile Vancouverite to get your name on a plaque — in fact a low-profile hero is just what an East Vancouver community group is looking for.
MOBY (My Own Back Yard) is accepting nominees until April 30 to pay homage to two people who have done something positive for East Vancouver, said Tina Dam, the group’s chair.
The winners will have their names put on a plaque on June 5 at Larry Young Memorial Park — a playground nestled in a small lot under the SkyTrain track at Commercial Drive and East 11th Avenue.
“It’s a nod to everyday citizens,” Dam said. “And it encourages those people who are able to do great things to do more, and to say, ‘If (someone else) can do it, why can’t I?’”
The park was built to transform a derelict space into a playground for a neighbourhood without a green area, and to honour Vancouver police Sgt. Larry Young, who was killed in the line of duty in 1987.
“Because we live in a big city … we seem fragmented,” Dam said.
“If we can bring a little of that (community feeling) back, then let’s bring that back.”
