1000 PAPER CRANES
Friday 18th March 2011
My book Cherry Crush is about a girl who is half-Japanese, and a Japanese theme runs all through the story. For me, as for all who love Japan and its culture, the recent earthquake, tsunami and threatened nuclear disaster has been shocking and scary.
I wanted to do something to help, and found myself thinking of the story of the 1000 Paper Cranes. In Japanese legend, anyone who makes 1000 paper cranes is granted a wish. In 1955, a Japanese girl, Sadako Sasaki, became ill with radiation sickness after the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Sadako planned to make 1000 paper cranes, but she had folded only 644 cranes when she died aged just 12. Her friends made the remaining paper cranes and buried them with her… one of the saddest yet most beautiful stories of friendship ever. In Japan, the paper crane is a powerful symbol of peace and hope.
What better way to send your support, good wishes and prayers to Japan? Find yourself a square of paper, click the link and make your own paper crane for Japan – then send in your pics through any of the website links. Tell your friends, family and teachers and spread the word. Together, we can make 1000 cranes… and show Japan that we care.
If you’re able to raise money for those made homeless by the disaster, you can donate to the Red Cross.
Look out for more ideas of how you can help on the Secret Page and in the April online newsletter… with comps to reward all your hard work. If you haven’t signed up for the free online newsletter, you can do it here – you’ll find a clue for the password to the Secret Page in the newsletter, too.
Get folding… and send your thoughts and prayers to Japan.
xxx
I think I’ll share this idea with my friends and family
And try and make 1000 myself …………………..
I heard the story in school. Now, I LITERALLY feel sorry for poor little Sadako. Japan, hang in there. All of us Cathy Cassidy fans are here for you!
wow i’ve just tried to make one and it was hard! i think i need to do a bit of practising! 🙂
thats soo sad i want to make a paper crane for her sake!! and i know this aint anything to with the little girl but my puppy Maddi died when she was 10 months old and i am still upset it happenend on the 24th of march 2011 at that time i was ill at home with Maddi and my mum and sister were at school(my mum works at my school)i ran to school which isant far away crying my eyes out and got my best friends Bethany Owen who was practising for a class play and we both went home early we was just crying she was crying so much because she spent litterally the same time around Maddi as i did!! 🙁
Hi Cathy those cranes are so cool i’ll have to try and make one tho im not very good at origami. Japans had loads of disasters we should come up with ways of helping them.
Jess xx
Hiya Cathy
I was thinking you could right a book thats set in japan or something about all the things that have happened there. Then you cou ld sent the like, half the money you get from the sales and give it to the red cross,
Luv Jess xx
They did the 1000 crane challenge at my school once.