To Kobe, With Love : Thousand Oaks School Sells Valentine’s Day Bouquets to Benefit Quake Victims

The idea hit them like a jolt.

Of all the people in the world who needed support this Valentine’s Day, the earthquake victims in Kobe, Japan, were the obvious choice.

With that in mind, students at Madrona Elementary School in Thousand Oaks set out Monday to raise money for Kobe’s survivors by selling Valentine bouquets.

Sheltered from rain on a covered patio, half a dozen youngsters sold 75-cent pledges for white-and-red carnations to friends, teachers, parents and anyone else who crossed their paths.

The flowers will be delivered today and the proceeds given to the Ventura County chapter of the American Red Cross. The chapter will forward the money to a relief organization in Japan.

Madrona is the first school in Ventura County to raise money for victims of Kobe’s devastating 6.8 temblor, which struck Jan. 17 and killed more than 5,200 people.

“They seemed like the people who had the most need right now,” teacher Justine Cheevers said.

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Albertson’s grocery store in Thousand Oaks donated more than $200 worth of flowers to the school, which student council members hope to sell for about $500, Cheevers said.

“We are going to have a small part go to one of our teachers here for the outdoor school program,” Cheevers said. “The rest is going to go to the Red Cross for Kobe, Japan.”

While $500 may not seem like a substantial gift for a city that has suffered an estimated $200 billion in quake damage, local Red Cross Director Brian Bolton said every dollar helps.

“By all of us working together, we meet the victims’ needs,” he said. In the last month, Ventura County residents have given about $2,100 for quake relief in Japan, Bolton said.

Perhaps as important as the money, Bolton said, is the lesson the gift teaches children about giving and caring for others, a message that seems fitting on Valentine’s Day.

“I think it is an issue of compassion,” he said. “I think Valentine’s has a lot to do with that--reaching out to those you love, and reaching out all over the world.

“It is important that young people see the connection between what they can do as individuals and the needs of other people,” Bolton said.

Madrona student council members came up with the idea of a gift for Kobe quake victims during a recent brainstorming session.

For some students, the images of cracked and crumpled buildings thousands of miles away were a reminder of the destruction that hit closer to home during the Northridge quake.

“We knew how much damage we had here last year, so we decided we could help Japan,” said 11-year-old Billy Ferrell, student council president. “It makes me feel pretty good that we are helping other people.”

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Despite the rain, carnation sales were brisk after school Monday, a sign the students will meet their $500 goal. Sales will continue this morning at Madrona.

“We raised over $300 so far,” third-grader Kylie Bass said. “We’re doing real good.”