VIDEO: Oxy Students Launch Thousand Cranes Project For Japan Quake Relief

Students at Occidental College began creating 1,000 cranes from origami paper this afternoon to raise funds for victims of the recent tsunami and earthquake in Japan. The students, from “aidJapan,” a campus volunteer group set up in the wake of the Japan disaster, gathered in Oxy's JSC quad and handed out sheets of origami paper to passersby who then chipped in to craft the cranes, called “semba-zuru” in Japanese. Students were asked for a suggested donation of $1 a piece.

The project, called “Cranes on The Quad,” is likely to continue throughout the semester. Proceeds will go to a high school, a city or a relief organization in Japan. According to Japanese tradition, a thousand cranes are believed to heal the sick and make wishes come true.