Eri Kiribuchi is doing her part to help her family back home.
The Japanese-born goaltender for the Carleton Ravens women’s hockey team still has family in the devastated country of Japan.
“My grandparents are in Japan and they are all safe now,” Kiribuchi said. “I also have my uncle’s family there and I talked to them the next day and they were all safe. But all of them are still afraid about the nuclear power plant in Fukushima.”
Kiribucbhi said she was terrified when she heard about the earthquake.
“I was very shocked and worried about my relatives in Japan,” she said. “Before I contacted them, I was all nervous and could not concentrate on anything.”
As a member the Carleton University Japanese Association (CUJA), Kiribuchi has been actively involved in raising money to help in the relief efforts.
“We raised over $13,000 in five days,” she said. “I thought that was more than amazing how Canadians are aware and supportive.”
CUJA had been accepting donations all week. They had a bake sale and they made origami messages to be sent to the survivors.
Kiribuchi said she plans on doing more fundraising, including a possible charity hockey game.
“I also spoke to [head coach Shelley Coolidge] to see if we could plan a charity game to raise money. Unfortunately, there is a lot of organization needed for such a game,” she said.
However, since the team has another charity game on March 26 for the Children’s Make a Wish Foundation, Kiribuchi said Coolidge will ask the organizer if a fundraiser box for Japan earthquake relief can also be put out during the game time.
CUJA had planned its fourth movie night of the year March 25. All proceeds from this event will go directly towards the relief efforts.
Kiribuchi, 21, was born in Tokyo, before moving to the Czech Republic with her mother and brother in 2000. Her father and younger sister joined them a year later.
The 5’2” shot-stopper has played hockey in the United States as well. Last season, she was a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association division one Bemidji University Beavers, based in northern Minnesota.
However, playing behind Slovakian national team goalie Zuzana Tomcikova, Kiribuchi didn’t get many opportunities with the team, so she started looking for other options.
After watching her play at the World University Games, Ravens women’s hockey head coach Shelley Coolidge learned of Kiribuchi’s interest to play in Canada.
In her first season with the Ravens, Kiribuchi won two of four games she started, playing behind fellow first-year goalie Victoria Powers. She had a .900 save percentage to go along with a 2.69 goals against average.
She also appeared in Carleton’s final playoff game against McGill.