PACOIMA : Quake Veteran Raises Funds for Kobe
When Northridge resident Harold Muraoka heard about the earthquake in Kobe, Japan, on Jan. 17, the tragedy hit home.
Exactly one year before the Kobe temblor, Muraoka’s grown-up daughter was gashed in the shoulder by falling glass during the Northridge earthquake. Her North Hills home was so severely damaged that she and her family stayed with Muraoka for 11 months while it was being repaired.
As a result of his experiences, the 64-year-old retiree and board member of the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center in Pacoima decided to do something to help the victims of the 6.9-magnitude Kobe quake.
In March, Muraoka launched a fund-raising plan that has netted about $10,000 so far. At the community center’s annual picnic on June 25, the facility will turn the proceeds over to the Japan America Society, which will deliver the money to Kobe.
Muraoka figures that if he hadn’t experienced a similar disaster, he probably would have sympathized but not been affected so deeply. “You change your outlook when you have gone through it and appreciated what help you got.”
The community center raised the money from its members and affiliated community organizations, including the Nisei Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Valley chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.
The center will continue to accept donations until June 25.
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