Helene Kitahara has lived a professional and personal life of service committed to those in need. In particular, she is and has been devoted to assisting disabled and special needs individuals who require rehabilitation and therapy.
Helene Kitahara was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. As a young child and US citizen, she was interned by the United States government with her family during WW II at the Japanese-American Internment Camp at Poston, Arizona. She returned to Los Angeles after the war with her family; where she graduated from University High School and went on to graduate from UCLA in 1964 with a major in Physical Education on an academic scholarship.
Helene completed her graduate studies to become a Registered Physical Therapist. She studied and trained at the Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, the Long Beach VA, Los Angeles County General Hospital, and the Wadsworth Orthopedic Hospital. In her professional career, she worked as a hospitalist and then in private practice in Encino, CA for over 20 years.
Helene has now been married to her husband, Tamio, for over 60 years; she is also the loving mother of 3 sons: Evan, Jason (deceased), and Davin.
Since retiring in the late 1990s, Helene has continued her lifelong commitment to service. It has been her honor and privilege to be an active member of the Independent Living Center of Southern California (ILCSC) since the 1980s, where she remains dedicated to supporting individuals with disabilities and advocating for inclusive communities.