Living Legacies Unveiled: Stories That Reshape Communities and Cultures

Legacy of Love: Supporting Children's Health

The 13th annual Legacy of Love event, presented by the Women's Auxiliary to Children's Medical Center Plano, occurred on April 11, 2025. The powerful fundraiser has contributed more than $2 million to pediatric health over the last 15 years. This year's event included global renowned photographer Anne Geddes and incorporated luxury raffles, silent auctions, and a fashion show. The money will be used to expand Children's Medical Center Plano, which has just doubled in size and tripled its bed capacity, a major achievement in pediatric healthcare.

 

Living Legacies: Iniva's Radical Archiving Initiative

The London-based Institute of International Visual Arts (iniva) is unveiling a four-year project called Living Legacies: Collaboration, Community & Radicality. The project will digitize archives detailing the British Black Arts Movement and other diasporic views. Major activities involve oral history recordings, public exhibitions, and education outreach. By 2030, iniva also hopes to involve more than 50,000 individuals with its collections, promoting inclusivity and intergenerational learning in the arts.

 

Living Legacy Pilgrimage: Uncovering African American Heritage

The Living Legacy Pilgrimage provides transformative pilgrimages through the storied history of the American South. The March pilgrimage, which sold out, examined Gullah Geechee culture, Civil Rights citizenship schools, and the new International African American Museum. September and October pilgrimages will examine Alabama and Mississippi stories. These experiential pilgrimages seek to enhance understanding of African American heritage while fostering equity and justice.

 

Iron Mountain's Living Legacy Initiative

Iron Mountain's Living Legacy Initiative keeps cultural and historical artifacts intact and makes them accessible through creative partnerships. Partnering with institutions such as the National Geographic Society, the initiative funds projects that address the effects of climate change on heritage sites. Through the creation of digital materials and virtual tours, it ensures that critical historical information is widely disseminated for educational use.

 

Fredericksburg's Living Legacies Exhibition

Opening May 30, 2025, Fredericksburg Area Museum's Living Legacies: African American History exhibition showcases turning points in local history. From the removal of the historic Auction Block in 2020 to the display of community-curated stories, the exhibit keeps African American contributions alive through objects, images, and digital catalogues. It will be a three-year journey of resilience and heritage.

 

Queen's University's WW1 Living Legacies Project

Queen's University Belfast was behind Living Legacies 1914-18, a centenary project consisting of six years spent investigating World War I's contested heritage via geospatial technology and outreach programmes. Encouraging over 120 Britain- and Ireland-based centenary projects, it ensured understanding and complicated historical narrative awareness while protecting from local racism and sectarianism.

 

Creating Your Own Living Legacy

A living legacy is not about what you do after you are gone—it is about how you motivate others with your actions today. By living your values and passions—through charity, community service, or advocacy—you can leave behind enduring positive memories that resonate through generations. A living legacy is active; it is constantly changing as you make a difference in the world while celebrating the power of transformation in life.

 

Source: iniva.org, Iron Mountain Initiative archives, Legacy of Love event details