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There have been numerous sightings of cranes on the Defiance College campus in recent days. Paper cranes, that is. The delicate origami bird created from several intricate folds of a simple square of paper has long been a symbol of peace and healing.
Eight young Defiance girls, members of the T-RUTH Academy, recently read the modern-day classic Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. They learned that in Japan, where the crane is revered, there is a legend that a thousand origami cranes will bring good fortune. Sadako was a Japanese girl who developed leukemia as a result of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Her wish was to make a thousand cranes in the hope that she would be healed.
The T-RUTH Academy girls, led by advisors Dr. Sandra Golden and Patty McCord, decided to make a thousand cranes with the help of Dr. Elizabeth Collardey and her husband, Tim. They wanted to present the cranes to Laura Deming, a local woman who was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer. Deming became acquainted with the T-RUTH Academy last year and was hoping to work with the group before she fell ill.
A thousand cranes is a large task for only eight girls, so they approached assistant football coach Craig McCord about the possibility of enlisting the help of the Defiance College football team. Following their dinner on a recent evening, the 120 or so football players gathered in the cafeteria and volunteered to learn how to make the origami birds, helping the girls toward their goal of a thousand cranes. Within an hour, the group made close to 600 cranes.
“It was the most amazing experience,” said Dr. Golden after the event. “Our girls walked away with an experience they will never forget, and I think the football players also came away with a great experience.”
To reach the one thousand mark, Dr. Golden’s First Year Experience class and the local Citizens in Action group will also be making cranes.
The T-RUTH Academy girls had planned to present the cranes to Deming in the near future, bringing with them a thousand wishes for peace and healing. Sadly, it was learned that Deming passed away over the weekend, so the cranes will instead be presented to her family.
T-RUTH Academy is a program that serves young girls in the Defiance community by providing them with opportunities to improve and enhance their reading and writing skills. Through the program, participants work within a structured reading/writing program to develop interpersonal and academic skills that enable and empower them to become productive and caring young girls in their community.
October 7, 2010
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