A Message of Hope: 1000 Origami Cranes
The newly formed St. Lawrence Arts & Crafts club, along with members of the wider community on campus, has worked hard over the past few months to make 1000 origami cranes to be sent to Hiroshima, Japan, to be displayed at the Children's Peace Memorial. This gesture of peace and international solidarity is a recognized way of supporting the elimination of nuclear weapons. On April 23, after months of paper folding, the cranes finally began their migration.
Why an origami crane? The Children's Peace Monument was built to commemorate Sadako Sasaki and the thousands of other children who died due to the dropping of the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945. Sadako survived the bombing but passed away 10 years later due to leukemia. Whilst in hospital she made origami cranes as a source of comfort and as an expression of peace. The tradition continued after her death, and today the Children's Peace Monument displays the millions of paper cranes sent to Hiroshima each year from around the world.
Why 1000 origami cranes? In Japanese culture, making 1000 cranes symbolizes hope, healing, and good fortune for the makers, which in this case is our community. It is believed that, if anyone has the commitment to fold 1000 paper cranes, they will be given good fortune and granted a wish. For the Arts & Crafts Club, folding 1000 paper cranes took about 5 months and multiple pairs of hands, showing how impressive Sadako's work was.
A box containing the cranes and the following message was sent: "May our folded wings take flight and and bring peace to every corner of the world. In remembrance of Sadako and of all the victims of August 6, 1945, let us build a future free of war," showing the school's stance toward building peace. If you are ever in Hiroshima, take a stroll to Peace Memorial Park and check out the children's memorial; our cranes will probably be there!
