The purpose of this site is to provide information on the campaign to turn Joy Kogawa's childhood home into a historic literary landmark for Vancouver and all of Canada.

The house was purchased by The Land Conservancy of BC in May 2006. Funds are now needed to restore the house to they way it looked between 1938 and 1942, when author Joy Kogawa lived there as a child; to turn the house into a historic literary landmark; and and to create an annual writers-in-residence program.

Donate now to the campaign.

Joy Kogawa Celebration Dinner on Friday June 23

Mon, 2006-07-03 10:14 — Todd Wong
Joy Kogawa Celebration Dinner on Friday June 23

Joy Kogawa recieved the Order of BC on June 22nd, at Government House in Victoria BC. It was presented by Iona Campagnolo the Lieutenant Governor of BC. 

We held a celebration dinner on Friday, June 23, at Flamingo Chinese Restaurant, on Fraser St.  This was a celebration dinner for both Joy's Order of BC, as well as to celebrate the purchase of historic Kogawa House, Joy's childhood home, by The Land Conservancy of BC.  The home had been confiscated by the Canadian government from her family while they were interned in Slocan during World War II, and also played a central figure in Joy's literary works Obasan and Naomi's Road.


Joy Kogawa, MC Todd Wong (Kogawa House committee), and Anton Wagner (secretary of Kogawa House committee) - photo Deb Martin.

Anton Wagner is an independent film maker in Toronto.  He filmed the Order of BC ceremony, and showed it at the dinner.   Another film highlight that Anton shared with the audience, was an excerpt that featured Joy from his film, Veterans Against Nuclear War.  Joy spoke about how the Nuclear bomb that dropped on Nagasaki was created by Christian Americans, and dropped on the largest Christian Church and Christian community in Asia, located in Nagasaki.  It is a very moving speech, that Joy gives.


Todd introduces Ramona Leungen, the composer of Naomi's Road opera, produced by the Vancouver Opera.  Vancouver Opera will recieve the inaugural Gung Haggis Fat Choy intercultural arts achievement award, for their incredible production Naomi's Road which toured BC schools, as well as in Red Deer Alberta, and Seattle Washington.


Todd Wong, Nancy Tiffin (TLC development officer), Ramona Leungen and Joy Kogawa - enjoying the presenations and the food for the evening - photo Deb Martin.


Dan Seto and Gail Thompson, senior paddlers on the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team, present Joy with a Gung Haggis Fat Choy, team shirt. - photo Deb Martin.

Joy Kogawa is the honourary drummer for the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team this year.  For the Alcanc Dragon Boat Festival, we changed the team name to Gung Haggis Fat Choy Kogawa House, to ensure that the 90,000 people who attended the Festival all heard the name "Kogawa House."  The team shirt is emblazoned with "lucky gold coins" - four on the front and fourteen on the back.  This year we listed The Land Conservancy of BC, and Save Kogawa House Committee, as our special "sponsors" - as we also listed the websites to help create awareness for these wonderful organizations.

For more information, go to:
www.kogawahouse.com

To donate for Kogawa House go to:
www.conservancy.bc.ca


Joy Kogawa, "honourary drummer" for Gung Haggis Fat Choy Kogawa House dragon boat team

Fri, 2006-06-09 12:33 — Todd Wong

Media alert:

June 9th, 2006

 JOY KOGAWA - honourary drummer for Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.



You are invited to a special Gung Haggis Fat Choy Kogawa House dragon boat team activity and dragon boat practice.

It is also a photo opportunity with our honourary drummer, Joy Kogawa.  Take a picture with Joy and the team on a dragon boat. For 2006, Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team added Kogawa House to its name to help promote awarness for the Save Kogawa House campaign.  In 2005, the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team recieved the Hon. David Lam Multicultural Award for being the team that "best respresented the multicultural spirit" of the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival.

Joy Kogawa OC, OBC, is one of Canada's most important literary figures.  Her award winning novel, Obasan, introduced many Canadians to the challenging experiences of the internment of Japanese Canadians during WW2.  Obasan was the 2005 choice for One Book One Vancouver, by the Vancouver Public Library.  Her children's novel "Naomi's Road" was adapted in 2005 into an opera, by the Vancouver Opera. 

Joy Kogawa's childhood home, was recently saved from demolition and purchased by The Land Conservancy of BC.  The GHFCKH dragon boat team is committed to raising awareness and funds for the preservation of historic Joy Kogawa House, and to help create a national literary landmark for Canada.  Joy will recieve her Order of BC on June 22nd. 

June 23rd - Gung Haggis Fat JOY KOGAWA HOUSE fundraiser dinner:
The Gung Haggis Fat Choy Kogawa House dragon boat team helps to host a fundraiser for Kogawa House at Flamingo Chinese Restaurant.  3489 Fraser St., 6pm reception, 7pm dinner.  This dinner will celebrate Joy's Order of BC, purchase of Kogawa House by TLC, and present the inaugural Gung Haggis Fat Choy intercultural arts achievement award to Vancouver Opera for their production of "Naomi's Road."

Sunday, June 11, 2006
10:30am
Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens:  The Gung Haggis team coach Todd Wong leads a tour to introduce concepts of harmony and balance, yin and yang.  Paddler Steven Wong will lead a Tai Chi / Qi Gong exercise following.

12 noon
Dragon boat dumplings and Dim Sum:
We go for dim sum and have traditional dragon boat sticky rice dumplings wrapped in tea leaves.  Floata Restaurant.  50 Keefer Street. 

1pm
Dragon boat practice and paddling:
meet at "Dragon Zone" - the green trailer building, just a few steps south of Science World, above the Aqua Bus/ False Creek Ferries.  This is where the dragon boat dock is.

Photo opportunity:  Joy Kogawa and the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Kogawa House dragon boat team.

We will have a 30 minute warm-up and dragon boat history introduction, followed by a 20 minute dragon boat paddle.  Return Joy and special guests off on the dock, then continue for an additional 60 minutes for the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Kogawa House dragon boat team practice.

Cheers, Todd
604-240-7090

Save Kogawa House committee and campaign
www.kogawahouse.com
Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team
www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog/GungHaggisdragonboatteaminformation
The Land Conservancy of BC
www.conservancy.bc.ca

June 23, Gung Haggis Fat JOY KOGAWA HOUSE fundraiser dinner

Fri, 2006-06-09 00:13 — Todd Wong
Historic Joy Kogawa House has now been purchased by
The Land Conservancy of BC. But the journey to create a national historic landmark and writing centre for all Canadians is just beginning.  We now need to raise funds for restoration of the house to when Joy and her family left it in 1942 when they were interned during WW2, and to create an endowment for its operation.

        

Please join us for a special fundraiser dinner
 for historic Joy Kogawa House. 

Gung Haggis
 

Fat JOY
 

KOGAWA HOUSE
June 23rd.
Flamingo Chinese Restaurant
3489 Fraser St.
Vancouver, BC
6:00pm  Reception
 7:00pm  Dinner starts.
"Fat Choy" means "prosperity" in Chinese language
 We say "Fat JOY" means "Big Love"
Join us in "Fat Joy" as we celebrate:
Purchase of Kogawa House by The Land Conservancy (May 30)
Order of BC for Joy Kogawa (June 22)
The inaugural Gung Haggis Fat Choy
Intercultural Arts Achievement Award presented
to Vancouver Opera for "Naomi's Road"

    

There will be special musical and literary presentations and readings of Joy Kogawa's works, with special guests, including:
Dr. Anton Wagner, filmaker and secretary of the
Save Kogawa House committee.
There will also be raffle prizes, silent auction
and a special First Nations style blanket toss.

Fundraiser for Kogawa House and
Gung Haggis Fat Choy Kogawa House dragon boat team
Tickets:
$40 Advance  - $50 at the door upon availability
Children 13 and under $30 Advance, $40 at the door.
Reserve a table for $400 for yourself and friends.
All tickets are reserved seating and assigned in order of purchase
Order your Tickets, or make a donation
604-733-2313
The Land Conservancy of BC,
Vancouver Office
5655 Sperling Ave., Burnaby BC

Media inquiries
call Todd Wong:  604-240-7090

Presented by: Gung Haggis Productions, The Land Conservancy of BC, Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.

Please see:
Save Kogawa House committee
www.kogawahouse.com
TLC - The Land Conservancy of BC
www.conservancy.bc.ca
Gung Haggis Fat Choy productions and dragon boat team.
www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com
 

TLC BECOMES PROUD OWNER OF HISTORIC JOY KOGAWA HOUSE

Wed, 2006-05-31 13:48 — Todd Wong

TLC BECOMES PROUD OWNER OF HISTORIC JOY KOGAWA HOUSE




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

Joy Kogawa named to Order of BC

Fri, 2006-05-19 10:35 — Todd Wong

Joy Kogawa named to...

Order of BC today!


May 18, 2006
13 People to Receive Order of British Columbia
VICTORIA – Recipients of the Order of British Columbia for 2006 were announced today by Lieutenant Governor Iona Campagnolo. Her Honour praised the recipients as outstanding citizens of B.C. who have contributed to strengthening the province in a variety of exceptional ways.
Full news release and Backgrounder.

Joy recently e-mailed to me about recieving the award:

I've never received so much attention in my life before.  

It's got to the point now that one miracle after another after another just keeps on flowing. I don't know how this blessed life has happened.

Joy recently wrote about what saving Kogawa House means to her:

What the house means to me -- these days it's a sense of miracle that surrounds me.
 
The fact of The Land Conservancy coming along and taking this on, the fact that it just happened to be that Naomi's Road was made into an opera at this time, that Vancouver Public Library chose Obasan as the One Book for Vancouver--these were miracles enough, without it all happening at this particular time.
 
And the amazing miracle of the particular people who were drawn to the work of saving the house -- Anton Wagner, Ann-Marie Metten, Todd Wong. So the house and the cherry tree and all these happenings and people are signs of miracles and fill me with hope.
 
When we look at the uncaring in our planet, here is evidence that relationships can be rehabilitated, 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 even more hope.
 
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.

Important news coming about Joy Kogawa.... good news... stay tuned!

Fri, 2006-05-19 01:42 — Todd Wong

I can't tell you what right now.

I am sworn to secrecy. 

But I can tell you to watch the media, as an office of the Provincial Government is releasing a medial release for May 19th, 2006.

 It's good news...  but not about the house.

Maybe some good news about the house, very soon.

Can't tell you about that yet, either...
Oops... maybe I have said too much already...

 Check back here later today.....

Todd 

Naomi's Road at Seattle Public Library - seen by Joy Kogawa's brother Rev. Timothy Nakayama

Fri, 2006-05-19 01:41 — Todd Wong

 
Naomi's Road
 
at Seattle Public Library
 
- seen by Joy Kogawa's brother
 
Rev. Timothy Nakayama
 
The following was sent to me by both Joy Kogawa and her brother Rev. Timothy Nakayama.  He is now a retired minister living in Seattle.  The story of Obasan is partly autobiographical, and the character of Steven Kato is a composite character partially based on Joy's older brother Tim.

Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble performs "Naomi's Road" composed by Ramona Leungen, libretto by Ann Hodges, and commissioned by Vancouver Opera.
 - Todd
 
"The Rev. Timothy M. Nakayama"  05/15/06 8:52 PM
Monday night, May 15, 2006 8:40 p.m. -
From the Rev. Timothy Makoto Nakayama, Seattle
 
Hi Joy, Todd, and  fellow Seattlelites:
 
My wife, Keiko, and I returned last Tuesday from our 3-week trip to Japan.  We are still in jet-lag that keeps us sleepy during the daylight hours and awake during much of the night and early morning.  However, our daughter, Tina,  drove us, and brought her son, Taylor, and we I managed to get to Bainbridge Island by ferry from Seattle and got to Woodward Middle School after having dinner at a local Japanese restaurant 0.6 miles from the ferry dock, and then 1.6 miles to the school  last Friday evening in time to see and hear "Naomi's Road".   As a bonus I met and spoke with Mary Woodward in the school parking lot after we came outside.
 
When the young performers were confronted with probing questions about the Japanese-Canadian "camp" experiences and Canadian governmental attitudes which prompted the "Relocation",  As one born and raised in Canada, and an eye witness of the Japanese Canadian "camps", I couldn't contain myself and began a response.  After the question period was concluded the cast took pictures of me with them.  They were somewhat interested in meeting me as the brother of the author of the little children's book, Naomi's Road, whose words inspired the development of this opera.   What they had been describing by singing, acting and skillfully moving and inter-changing scenic panels on stage, was a reflection of the past that had occurred!  It stirred my memories!
 
This was my first experience of this opera, and to say the least it was nostalgic.
 
I intend to go tomorrow night to the Seattle Downtown Public Library by 7 p.m. to hear and see it again.
 
Tim.

 Joy and Tim Nakayama as children before internment at 1450 West 64th Ave. in Marpole neighborhood in Vancouver.  The house will become a writing centre and writer's retreat known as Joy Kogawa House. photo courtesy of Joy Kogawa.
 
Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 11:34 PM
Subject: Re: Naomi's Road

Thank you, Chris, for bringing the mike to me tonight!  I hope my interloping intervention during the question period was not too inappropriate!  At least several people came to speak to me afterwards to express their thanks.  My wife, Keiko, and I didn't stay too long afterwards; I tend to run out of steam these days, so we try to pick and choose where we go and what we do! 
 
The operatic performance was well done.  I noticed the Ninomiya Kinjiro Statue on the mobile in-set "piano" during the second time I saw this opera, just as I found myself musing about the vignette about "Roughlock Bill" (a Canadian Buffalo Bill as it were), about which I commented briefly.  I found the question about our schooling while in "camp"  an interesting question.    
 
Best wishes to you, for you and your work!
 
Tim Nakayama.
 

Rev. Timothy Nakayama and sister Joy Kogawa reunited at the One Book One Vancouver launch at the Vancouver Public Library Central Branch in May 2005.  The siblings had not seen each other in 10 years. photo Todd Wong

 
Wednesday evening, May 17, 2006.  (it's now tomorrow the 18th!)
 
 
Among the questions was one about school during our internment. 
 
I mentioned that at the beginning there appeared to be no provision for our education.  Ten women missionaries who came to Slocan City (who had left Japan for North America because of the war - they had been sent by missionary organizations from the USA, the UK, and Canada) - now they were in Slocan City.  They lived in a big house outside the camps but helped us.  In our gold-mining "ghost town" there was a small St. Paul's Anglican Church and Parish Hall.  So the women missionaries set up a school in the Parish Hall for the high school students who were in their final year whose time in school and opportunity for graduation was cut off when all of us were sent to "camp".  So the women missionaries organized classes in the parish hall to help those so close to graduation. 
 
The time went on the war didn't end and we were in the mountain wilderness without any school.  The authorities must have decided that some things ought to happen.  The carpenters in the camps were put to work to build a two storey structure in "Bayfarm", a camp between the old hotels and buildings in Slocan City, North of Bayfarm, and "Popoff", another camp South of Bayfarm.  The classrooms had green chalkboards in front with a teacher's desk, and 2-person desks with bench (I remember having to sit beside a girl at one of those desks). The school in Bayfarm was given the name of "Pine Crescent School".  The School Principal was a young Buddhist Priest, Takashi Tsuji recently returned from Japan where he had been educated. 
 
In the meantime high school graduates were rounded up to be trained in a short course on how to teach by the retired inspector of schools of the Province of B.C., and recruitment of various persons with skills, such as a cosmetologist who taught personal cleanliness and hygiene, a boat-building carpenter who taught us "manual training" (I remember learning how to draf, and print letters at 60 degrees, how to read blueprints, how to hammer nails straight, cut straight with a saw, how to set the blade of a plane and plane wood, how to carve wood, and use sandpaper, and varnish, etc.).  We had been out of school for about a year and a half (we didn't know how long we would continue to be in camp), and many of us wouldn't "apply" ourselves, and the inexperienced "greenhorn" teachers had a hard time with us, but during the year and half we continued to be there we did about three year's school work.  About 10% of us caught up the lost time and got up to the grade level we had lost. 
 
The weather was very cold in winter.  There was a stove in each classroom and I remember seeing the red hot stove pipes.  If we faced the stove we would feel the heat which was burning hot, but our backsides remained freezing.  We needed gloves or mits on our hands to keep them warm, but we couldn't write or print with them on.
 
The story of "Naomi's Road" ends with our family going to the sugar beet farming areas of Southern Alberta because we were not allowed to return to Vancouver.  During the upheaval about 1/6 of our population had been "repatriated" -- "back" to Japan.  These words didn't apply to me so I resented "repatriation" and "back" to Japan because Japan is not the land of my birth, and I had never been to Japan in the first place.  The plan was to close the "camps" as quickly as possible.  Those of us who had not been repatriated were to be moved "East of the Rockies".  At the end of August 1945 we moved to Coaldale, Alberta..
 
Legislsation in 1949 made sweeping changes in Canada, opening the opportunity of immigration from all over the world into Canada, no longer with preferences only from the UK and Europe, but from varous Asian countries, and we were finally allowed as Japanese Canadians to return to the 100-mile area along the Pacific Coast that had been designated as a "protectect area" from 1942 until 1949 (even for 4 additional years after the war had ended.  Also because all our property had been auctioned off by government order without our knowledge while we were still in camp, we had no place where we could go back.  By the time we were allowed to do so, people didn't have the resources to make such a move, and most were too weary to do so.  Most stayed where there were now living.  The centre of Japanese Canadian population by then was Toronto.
 
I graduated from high school in 1950, so was able to go to Vancouver to attend the University of B.C.  After graduating I continued at our theological college adjacent to the UBC campus.  This was the time when some Japanese Canadians began to return to the Vancouver area so I assisted the retired Priest, Canon Willam H. Gale who returned to Vancouver after having helped many people in their resettlement in Eastern Canada..  We learned by word of mouth about people who were returning and began to re-group them into a congregation.  Because our church buildings had also been sold, we were offered the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament at St. James' Church in downtown Vancouver East, where the Japanese work had first begun in 1904.  Fr. Gale led the Services in Japanese on Sunday afternoons when the church was not being used by others, and since I couldn't read Japanese just as most of Canada-born Japanese couldn't,  he gave me a 1926 Ro-maji (Romanized) Edition of the Japanese Book of Common Prayer so I could participate in the Services.  We also used St. George's Church in the Fairview district - one of the areas where the Japanese had once lived - (near the Vancouver General Hospital) for our work among the young people.
 
These memories were aroused by some of the questions after the performance.  These written recollections are a little fuller than the verbal presentations I interjected after the performances of the opera at Bainbridge Island's Woodward Middle School and in the Auditorium of the new downtown Seattle Public Library. 
 
Tim.

Joy Kogawa: Personal thoughts about Kogawa House on May 9th, 2006

Tue, 2006-05-09 09:47 — Todd Wong
What the house means to me -- these days it's a sense of miracle that surrounds me.
 
The fact of The Land Conservancy coming along and taking this on, the fact that it just happened to be that Naomi's Road was made into an opera at this time, that Vancouver Public Library chose Obasan as the One Book for Vancouver--these were miracles enough, without it all happening at this particular time.
 
And the amazing miracle of the particular people who were drawn to the work of saving the house -- Anton Wagner, Ann-Marie Metten, Todd Wong. So the house and the cherry tree and all these happenings and people are signs of miracles and fill me with hope.
 
When we look at the uncaring in our planet, here is evidence that relationships can be rehabilitated, 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 even more hope. 
 
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.

Macleans.ca: B.C. home connected to Second World war saved from demolition

Tue, 2006-05-09 08:55 — Todd Wong
<!-- templatedata\content\html\data\2004\10\20041021_161321_5472 --> <!-- B.C. home connected to Second World war saved from demolition CAMILLE BAINS -->

April 28, 2006 - 20:35

B.C. home connected to Second World war saved from demolition

CAMILLE BAINS

VANCOUVER (CP) - Canadian writer Joy Kogawa says she's shocked that her beloved childhood home has been saved from demolition despite such a shortfall in funds raised to restore it.

"I thought miracles happen and dreams come true and that is totally amazing," she said.

The house was featured in Kogawa's acclaimed autobiographical novel Obasan and has been the focus of a national campaign by the Land Conservancy.

Although the group managed to raise only $230,000 so far, it announced Friday that it will go ahead and purchase the house by borrowing money if necessary, said spokesman Bill Turner.

The organization wants the house to remain as a reminder of what Japanese of Canadian heritage endured in the early 1940s, made the announcement Friday.

The conservancy's goal was to raise $1.25 million to buy and restore the house.

Kogawa said she didn't allow herself to get too hopeful during the campaign.

"I thought maybe life has to teach me that there are these disasters in the world. There are so many disasters and this is a minor, minor disaster compared to all of them but it may be something that is necessary for me to go through so be ready."

Kogawa was six in 1942 when she, her older brother Timothy and their parents were forced by the Canadian government to leave the home she remembers so fondly.

It would later be auctioned off without the family's consent but has somehow managed to survive despite changing hands several times.

The current owners wanted to demolish the home so they could build a bigger one on a street now lined with so-called monster houses.

Eventually, the conservancy also wants to turn the house into a writers-in-residence for scribes who suffered human rights abuses in other countries.

Turner said that while he's disappointed more money wasn't raised, the campaign brought people together to talk about an important subject in Canada's history.

He said he's also hoping the federal government will consider the conservancy's appeal for funding.

"They have not said no," said Turner, adding he hopes the Heritage Department will consider the importance of the house to Canada's history, a subject that's missing from many textbooks.

At the height of the Second World War, the government used the War Measures Act to confiscate property and uproot over 21,00 Japanese-Canadians in British Columbia.

They were considered enemies of Canada.

Kogawa and her family were interned in Slocan Valley, in B.C.'s Interior, where she remembers always being cold.

The Kogawas were also forced to work in the sugar beet fields of Coledale, Alta.


<!--new bigbox code end-->

Kogawa House deadline to raise money to save house is now August 2006

Sat, 2006-05-06 12:15 — Todd Wong

Kogawa House deadline to raise money to save house is now August 2006

It's been an awesome journey along the campaign to save Joy Kogawa's childhood home from the wrecker's ball, and turn it into a writers' centre and historical and literary landmark for Canada.

Even though The Land Conservancy has decided to purchase the home by exercising their option worked out with the owner, we are still a ways from completely saving it. 

So far $230,000 has been raised and pledged, but an additional $470,000 is needed complete the $700,000 purchase price.

I am working on a fundraiser event for May, and for the summer.  Please call me or Nancy Tiffin at TLC, if you have any ideas, or major donors.  See Nancy's letter from the TLC below

Dear Friends and Supporters,

 

The Land Conservancy of BC has decided to exercise its option to purchase the Historic Joy Kogawa House and take out a short term mortgage to save it from demolition (see press release below).  But we only have until August 2006 to raise the balance of the money needed to purchase the property in order to prevent TLC from carrying a long term mortgage on this property.  This buys us a bit more time to work towards the goal of preserving this important symbol of Canda's cultural heritage in perpetuity.

Our goal of $1.25M as follows:

      Land and House Purchase $700,000
      Restoration of Property    $200,000
      Endowment                    $300,000    to offset costs of maintaining a writers-in-residence program
      Cost of Fundraising          $50,000

To date we have raised $235,000 from over 500 people in donations and pledges. 

This is still a time sensitive campaign.  We have until August 31, 2006 to ensure the preservation of this property in perpetuity.  Your gifts and your ability to connect us to others who may be intertested in giving is essential to our success.  I am confident that with your help we can reach our goal of making this an educational site and a retreat for writers of conscience.  If you or someone you know has yet to donate or pledge to this important campaign, please take a moment to go to The Land Conservancy's website at www.conservancy.bc.ca and make your donation or pledge today.  You can also print the attached pledge/donation form off and give it to others.

There are silk threads of hope healing and reconcilation running through this campaign and we've been inspired by the commitment and interest from people all over Canada, throughout the States and from parts of Europe and Asia.  It's exciting to see the world become your neighbour and join together in this great cause.  We are a significant step closer to preserving this important symbol of Canada's cultural heritage in perpetuity, which is important to us as individuals and as a society.  It's a symbol that will carry with it the importance of our past, and even more importantly, provide a reminder for generations to come of the multiculturalism and interculturalism that provide the backbone to our culture and makes us proud to be called Canadian.

Thank you for your interest in and support of our campaign.

Sincerely,

Nancy 
Nancy Tiffin
Development Officer - Major Gifts
 
TLC The Land Conservancy of British Columbia
5655 Sperling Ave, Burnaby, BC   CANADA  V5E 2T2
 
CELL: (250) 213-6278    TEL: (604) 733-2313    FAX: (604) 299-5054
ntiffin@conservancy.bc.ca             www.conservancy.bc.ca
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