Lebanon Foundation Invites All to Lecture by Renowned Garden Designer August 14, 2024 The Lebanon Community Hospital Foundation will host a free community lecture on Japanese gardens as healing spaces at the Boulder Falls Event Center on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m. The lecture features world renowned Japanese garden designer Hoichi Kurisu and his daughter, Michiko Kurisu, as they discuss “An Evolution of Purpose: Japanese Gardens as Healing Spaces.” While there is no cost to attend, registration is required. “This is a rare opportunity to hear Hoichi and Michiko speak locally,” said Brandy O’Bannon, director of the Lebanon Community Hospital Foundation. “Due to their generosity and a sponsorship by Boulder Falls Inn and Events Center, this event is free. Everyone is invited to attend this very special event featuring experts in the field speaking about the importance of gardens to our individual and collective well-being.” Hoichi Kurisu has been designing and building gardens throughout the world since 1972. He believes that nature heals, and that communion with nature is more critical than ever to human well-being. He is highly regarded as one of the most influential Japanese garden designers worldwide and has established a reputation for gardens of the highest authenticity, quality and integrity. He designed the Healing Garden at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital 20 years ago, and the two Japanese gardens across the street from the hospital at the Boulder Falls Premier Best Western Inn. The Entrance Garden faces Highway 20 and features a dramatic waterfall and boulders, and the 1-acre Campus Garden surrounds the hotel and conference center. The Campus Garden will be 10 years old in 2025.The gardens were built entirely with donations from the community. Hoichi Kurisu and his daughter are visiting Lebanon to deliver a message of inspiration, and to build awareness of the need for the Lebanon Community Hospital Foundation’s Healing Garden Endowment. The endowment is a way for donors to support the long-term care and sustainability of the gardens. Due to the generosity of local donors, gifts to the Healing Garden Endowment are being doubled throughout 2024. To register for the lecture or to donate, call 541-451-7063 or visit samhealth.org/LebanonHealingGardens.
