Kids Can Help Too

By drodriguez Mar 30, 2011

Through all the hardships and devastation that Japan is now facing after the recent earthquake and tsunami, it is uplifting to hear news of how kids are stepping up to help. Kids around the world are coming together in an effort to rebuild the areas that were most affected by the destruction.

An old Japanese legend states that every person who folds 1,000 paper cranes will be granted a wish from a crane. This is how the idea of “Paper Cranes for Japan” program came about. The Bezos Family Foundation along with StudentsRebuild.org have teamed up to pledge a $2 donation (they will donate up to $200,000) for every origami crane made to support the effort.

Children can make a paper crane and snap photos of it to post on Facebook in order to spread the word about the project. They can then mail their crane in to Students Rebuild so it can be counted toward a monetary donation for reconstruction. Students Rebuild will send you free shipping labels if you are mailing in 50 or more cranes.

Kids around the world are already hard at work on their origami skills. According to a report from USA Today, seven schools in Haiti are taking part in the project and 15 countries around the world have already requested free shipping labels from Students Rebuild. Bezos Family Foundation president, Jackie Bezos, released a statement saying “We believe young people are uniquely poised to affect the world’s most pressing problems. They’re often overlooked as a source of talent and solutions.”

To find out more about the “Paper Cranes for Japan” project or get your kids involved in the effort please visit StudentsRebuild.org/Japan.

What do you think of the “Paper Cranes for Japan” project that kids can take part in?