Less than a week after beloved cherry blossom trees outside the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California were vandalized, a GoFundMe campaign has raised thousands of dollars in an effort to replace them.
The GoFundMe, started by the the center itself, initially had a modest goal of only $5,000. As of Monday afternoon, over $26,000 had been raised.
Its goal more than quadrupled within 24 hours last Friday.
"At this time, we are uncertain about the estimated costs to replace the trees, as there are many factors that are left unknown including what support we will receive from the City for the replacement of the trees," the GoFundMe campaign's description said.
Estimated costs are between $5,000 and $10,000.
The San Francisco-based organization posted the sad news last Wednesday on its Facebook page, saying that all of the branches were ripped off two trees early Tuesday. The post prompted an outpouring of support.
"The trees were destroyed down to the trunk," the Facebook post explained. "Not one branch was left on any of the trees. “This was not simply a passerby trying to break a branch off for fun. Someone took their time breaking off every branch."
According to the post, these trees were the first in more than 50 years to be planted in the city's Japantown to commemorate the visit of the Emperor and Empress of Japan in 1994.
One cherry blossom tree was vandalized in a similar way two years ago.
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