Jacqui Cohen - Vancouver, BC

Jacqui Cohen, a well known philanthropist in Vancouver, has been described as an “altruist.” Cohen remains humble and attributes her passionate character to her family. She feels she acquired sensitivity and compassion from her father. “He had multiple sclerosis and lost two children, yet he would come into a room in a wheelchair with the biggest smile on his face.”

Jacqui’s compassion lives on through the Face the World Foundation, which she started in 1991 to provide “hands of hope to the less fortunate members of our society.” Through regular donations to the BC Division’s Equipment Provision Program, the Foundation enhances the lives of people living with MS.

So when long time family friends Joe and Rosalie Segal and Milan and Maureen Ilich, other well-known Vancouver philanthropists, invited Jacqui to a fundraising dinner for the endMS Campaign, she did not hesitate to attend. When asked why she supported the endMS Campaign, Jacqui said:

“I’ve experienced first hand how MS affects those who have the disease as well as their family members. I get emotional thinking about how different things might have been for my father had he been alive today and able to benefit from the advancements in MS treatments and the leading edge research being conducted by the MS Society.”