Golden Valley Kids Fold Wishes for Japan

Children from Lakeview, Northport and Noble Adventure Club volunteered their time over spring break to make origami cranes to help the people of Japan after the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsumani wreaked havoc on March 11th.

Nancy Rzeszutek from Adventure Club, as she has done in the past, looks for great ideas to get involved in volunteering or helping others out. “I get emails from an organization called DoSomething.org and making paper cranes for Japan was one of the ideas that was sent to me before spring break,” she explained. “I spent a whole weekend teaching myself how to make a paper crane so I could teach the students. Well, it all turned into something amazing.”

And yes, it did turn into something amazing. The children made 211 paper cranes in the little time that they had when they weren’t on a field trip. For every crane received in Japan, The Bezos Family Foundation is donating two dollars to Architecture for Humanity’s reconstruction efforts there.

Cranes have a long been a sacred creatures in Japanese culture, representing honor, loyalty and peace. An ancient legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes will be granted a wish from a crane, a legend that was incorporated into Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, the classic non-fiction children’s book published in 1977.

Many wishes are being sent to Japan in the form of paper cranes. The cranes that they receive will be woven into an art installation as a gift from students around the world – including students from our wonderful community.

Editor's Note: Robbinsdale Area Schools' communications director, Tia Clasen, contributed information to this story.