PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release
New Business Builds Community One Family at a Time

Cumberland, BC (July 8, 2008)  Cumberland entrepreneur and personal historian Kelly Lees is helping to strengthen community one family at a time. Her new business, a personal history service called Treasured Stories Memory Books, provides a way for Valley residents to document and celebrate their own family history. "Most families have collections of pictures taken over the years that are stored in various boxes and albums. Each image tells its own story, but as the dynamics of families change over time, information about the context of images and their significance can be lost. What seems obvious to one generation can become obscure to the next."

Through a series of interviews, Lees helps families to document memories such as weddings, births, travel or family history  and preserves them in a variety of formats including photo inventories, customized books of up to 100 pages, slide shows, and interactive DVDs  that become family treasures.

Lees studied anthropology and human geography while in university, and this background has helped her to appreciate the connections that exist between people, the places they’ve lived, and the value of that information as time passes.  Lees began documenting her own family history after the passing of her grandmother, who had lived on the other side of Canada. "I learned a lot about my grandmother, my family, and my own identity through the process of creating a memory book from my grandmother’s pictures and by listening to my mother tell family stories."  Lees and her two children now have a tangible way to enjoy their shared past, and to experience and appreciate their own place in family history. As more memories are made, their family will also be able to document their own contributions for the generations to come.

Memory books provide more than photo identities, they also help to build esteem by honoring the lives and achievements of others, and helping the elderly to reminisce and stay connected to family. Descendants are able to link their own values and experiences to the roots of their past through shared family stories. It can also help families to grieve, to heal, and to respect diversity. By deepening our appreciation for our own families, we are better able to appreciate others. For more information, visit the company’s website: ww.treasuredstories.ca