Fundraising efforts are under way to assist the family of a high school student who died Jan. 20, a day after she was struck by a vehicle while crossing Fruitridge Road.
Michelle Murigi, who would have turned 17 on Wednesday, was born in Kenya, the youngest of five children, three of whom still live in Nairobi.
Michelle, her sister Juliet and mother, Mary, came to the Sacramento area in 2000 to join her father, Stanley, who had come to the United States for a job a year earlier.
Friends hope to raise money to help them bring sisters Caroline and Grace "Sonnie" Murigi and brother Mike Murigi to the United States in time for Michelle's funeral Feb. 4.
Mary Murigi is a nursing assistant at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center on Morse Avenue. Colleague Diane Louie said medical center employees are collecting money to help the family cover funeral and travel expenses. They also are donating vacation hours to provide Mary Murigi with extended bereavement leave.
Michelle Murigi was a student at Sacramento's West Campus High School. Fellow students celebrated her life Wednesday with a combined memorial and birthday observance. She also was honored by students she mentored at Mark Twain Elementary School, adjacent to the high school campus, said her sister Juliet.
"She was so selfless, always thinking of other people," Juliet Murigi said. "We donated her organs. That's what she would have wanted. They've helped about six people so far."
Michelle attended church at Capital Christian Center. A fundraising event for the family is scheduled from 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday at House of Glory Church, 10190 Systems Parkway in Rancho Cordova. It will feature photos and videos of Michelle Murigi's life, as well as refreshments, and a time of prayer and presentations by family and friends.
A service for the teenager will be held at 10 a.m. Feb. 4 at Quiet Haven Memorial Park Cemetery, 9899 Elder Creek Road.
Donations to the Michelle Murigi Memorial Fund may be sent to Safe Credit Union, P.O. Box 1057, North Highlands, CA 95660-9985, or to any Safe Credit Union office. For branch locations, call (916) 979-7233.
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