NEWS RELEASE                   
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  May 31, 2006

TLC BECOMES PROUD OWNER OF HISTORIC JOY KOGAWA HOUSE

VANCOUVER, BC – TLC The Land Conservancy of BC are official owners of the Historic Joy Kogawa House in Marpole. Thanks to 550 donors from around the globe and one last minute donation of about $500,000 dollars from an anonymous corporate donor, the cultural landmark will be saved as part of Canada’s history for future generations. News of the generous donation is very timely for TLC as the option to purchase the house closes today.

“The future of the Historic Joy Kogawa House is now completely in our hands, and we are proud of what we were able to accomplish with such a short deadline,” said TLC Deputy Executive Director Ian Fawcett. “This is one huge hurdle cleared. The next challenge is to continue raising the rest of the funds necessary to complete this project, to restore the house ($200,000) and to set up an endowment to offset the costs of establishing a writers-in-residence program ($300,000) in perpetuity.”

While formal funding requests to the City of Vancouver and to the Government of Canada are still not confirmed, TLC continues to work through the process with them, as well as with several other potential donors and grant agencies. Now that the immediate threat of demolition is gone, TLC urges the public to donate to the future of the historical site.

“When we look at the uncaring in our planet, here is evidence that relationships can be rehabilitated, and the formerly despised can be embraced. The dream that writers who are presently among the despised of the world can come and write their stories here fills me with hope,” said award-winning Canadian author Joy Kogawa. “Racism is a present tragedy in the world, as it has been in the past. Here is one small way that we can say in Canada, that racism can be overcome.”

After hearing the news that the Historic Joy Kogawa House will be saved, a Grade 3 student from Tomsett Elementary School in Richmond – one of many schools throughout the province that eagerly took up the fundraising school challenge for Kogawa House –said: “It’s not like anything I’ve done before. It changed every single way I think about every single thing. I think saving Kogawa House is a great way of learning about history. We learned about how people were discriminated against and how we should think more about other people’s feelings. I felt very proud of myself when I heard that the Kogawa House was saved.”

Donations for the Historic Joy Kogawa House can be made to TLC at (604) 733-2313 or online at www.conservancy.bc.ca


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For further information:
TLC:    Ian Fawcett; ifawcett@conservancy.bc.ca; Heather Skydt (604) 733-2313; hskydt@conservancy.bc.ca
Save Kogawa House Committee:    Ann-Marie Metten (604) 263-6586; ametten@telus.net; Todd Wong (604) 240-7090; gunghaggis@yahoo.ca