April 9, 2008

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Joy Kogawa, award-winning Canadian author and Bill Turner, Executive Director at TLC The Land Conservancy of British Columbia will join to thank the significant donor who helped to complete the purchase of Historic Joy Kogawa House on Friday, April 25, at 3 p.m., Historic Joy Kogawa House, 1450 West 6th Avenue.

The donor, who is a prominent Canadian dedicated to women's rights and the environment, will be on hand to speak about their special contribution to this cultural landmark.

Following the press conference, guest speakers (with special appearance by Iona Campagnolo, former B.C. Lieutenant Governor and TLC's Honourary President) will participate in a cherry tree planting to celebrate second life at the Historic Joy Kogawa House. The cherry tree cutting is from the tree in the backyard at the house which was highlighted in Joy Kogawa's children's books: Naomi's Road and her latest novel, Naomi's Tree.

In May 2006, TLC became the proud owner of the Historic Joy Kogawa House. The purchase would not have been complete without the generous donation of $500,000. After a hard-fought effort by TLC and the Save Kogawa House Committee to save the house from demolition, it is being restored, and beginning in the spring of 2009, will host a writer-in-residence program.

The Historic Joy Kogawa House is a place that commemorates both the brightest hopes and the darkest hours of Canadian history. The house, representative of many properties owned by Canadians of Japanese descent, was confiscated during the Second World War when its occupants and 20,000 other Japanese-Canadians were interned.