1000 Cranes for Japan

74/365 Yotsuba's Crane   Originally uploaded by maggie_gem

"The crane in Japan is one of the mystical or holy creatures (others include the dragon and the tortoise), and is said to live for a thousand years. In Japan, it is commonly said that folding 1000 paper origami cranes makes a person's wish come true. This makes them popular gifts for special friends and family." Wikipedia

The earthquake and ensuing tsunami of March 11th has brought many people around the world together in efforts to support all who have been impacted by this tragic event. I stumbled upon one such group on Flickr that is gaining a following of photographers from around the globe that are making origami cranes for Japan, to offer support and hope in difficult times.

I've never created any origami until seeing this group, but with the help of this excellent tutorial on YouTube I was making cranes in no time.

Maybe you'd be interested in participating and raising awareness of the efforts that are being made to provide support. You can view the group photos at 1000 Cranes for Japan Group on Flickr. Through this group I also learned that Miya Company is offering to donate $5 to Save the Children for each of the first 1000 photos of cranes submitted to their email. You can read more about their effort at this web-page www.miyacompany.com/static.asp?htmltemplate=1000cranes.html

Thank you Hilary, I am honored to be a "Mention" on the Post of the Week!