Helping Hands from Big Bear, CA

There is a small community in Big Bear California (San Bernardino County) who has also started writing letters of encouragement and had an idea to make a thousand paper cranes for the survivors of the twin disasters in Japan. When they found out about our thousand cranes project, the organizer, Victoria Nagata, contacted us in early April and told us that they were looking for a school or community in Japan where they could send their cranes and letters.


After contacting Otsuchi, we found out that there are four more elementary schools in the town and that they have now joined together and reopened as one joint school. Victoria decided to host a community event last Tuesday to invite people to come to fold a thousand Origami cranes at their school in Big Bear California for these four elementary schools in Otsuchi, Japan.


Victoria sent us some pictures of children gathering at the multi purpose room, making cranes all night long. She told us that the event was successful and that they made close to 700 cranes in one night. Victoria was very happy to see all the people from her community come together to reach out to the children of Otsuchi. 


We are so pleased to see that there are other communities like ours who have made the effort to organize events like this. 


She'll be sending her thousand cranes as soon as they're done.

Thank you Big Bear Community! 

Making Origami Cranes

 The community of Big Bear came to make cranes.

 Carefully folding Origami

Writing a message to the people of Otsuchi!

The box has been sent!

Yesterday we shipped out our one thousand cranes and the letters from Cragmont students to Japan. The box was full of our love, hope and caring. Again, thank you all for making this project succeed!
- from all of us,
 "A Thousand Cranes" project organizers

A Big Announcement!!!

Our goal to make 1,000 origami cranes is accomplished!!! 


Thank you Cragmont community, you did it! Together we made over 1,000 cranes. 
This coming week we will be ship these cranes along with the many letters and drawings that we've received from all the students. We're 100% sure that the children and people of Otsuchi will be so happy to receive these and they will know how much we care about them and wish for them a fast recovery.


Special thanks to the Cragmont teachers and school staff for giving us an opportunity to work with your students and providing us your complete support. Thank you parent volunteers who came and helped us make this project succeed.


Donations are still accepted by checks via mail.

A Thousand Cranes!

Cragmont Students

Nicole and her son, Sean

Messages on Trees!

The owner of Bio Friendly Gardens, Lou Dixon (also a father of two Cragmont students) have kindly donated a Japanese maple tree and a cherry blossom tree to the Cragmont community to commemorate the disastrous Earthquake and Tsunami that has affected so many people in Japan. He wishes that these trees will be symbols of hope, encouragement,  and reflection for
many years to come.
As we wait to hear about the approval of planting the trees on the campus, we placed the maple tree inside the art gallery area and the cherry blossom right outside of the cafeteria.


Today, during the morning recess, the students decorated the trees with messages indicating their wishes and prayers. Everyone started to work on it right away, and at the end of recess, we hung these messages to both trees and instantly they became a center of attention! 


It was our last day at the school to work with the students to make cranes. We've reached our goal of making 1000 cranes!!! 

Thank you all!!!!

A student writing a message

Beautiful design! 

Sumi (left), Alexia (center), Kaya (right) holding their messages

2nd grade girls folding cranes without our instruction!

Will, blowing the cranes

The Japanese maple tree donated by Bio Friendly Garden

We'd like to recognize our 4 year old friend, Luca (pictured with Japanese cherry blossom tree) as being the most dedicated kid in the community!

He has come to the school almost everyday with his mom, Akiko and has been so patient and well behaved during this time while his mom was busy instructing students with Origami cranes.

Thank you, Luca!

Here are the pictures of messages hung on the trees!

We truly wish for a fast recovery for the people of Otsuchi....

Crane Workshop - Day 7 -

Today, it was a little chilly and we stayed inside the cafeteria. As soon as the recess began, the students came to help make the cranes. They were all wondering how many we have made so far (we'll let you know as soon as we have a final count!). The older students definitely had their focus and kept on making with very little help. During today's workshop, I think we made 120 cranes! We've got one more day to go kids!

Parent volunteer, Jill, with the students

Visiting Mr. Cruciani's 2nd grade class

Mr. Crusiani, known as Mr. C, invited us to his classroom this afternoon to teach his 2nd grade students how to make paper cranes. Before we started, we've discussed the situation in Japan and the meaning behind the making of 1000 cranes. (Click on the page "why make one thousand cranes?" above to read about it). The students were very compassionate and they all wanted to make these cranes for the people of Otsuchi. It was truly amazing to see those happy faces when, at the end of the process of folding the origami paper, the students opened the wings of the cranes. 

Sumi (left) and Alexia (right)

Mr. C's class

Crane Workshop - Day 6

Wow, this is our 6th day to hold this workshop. So many students have come and learned how to fold cranes with us that some of them are now starting to teach other students. Everyday they are getting better and faster at making them.
One of our organizers, Akiko, who has been overseeing the crane workshops, expressed that this has been so much fun and how much she loves seeing the smiles of everyone involved!

Akiko surrounded by many students at the cafeteria

Look how focused they are!