1000 Cranes for Mental Health

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. In an effort to reduce stigma and encourage a sense of community, we are hoping to fold 1,000 cranes for mental health during the month. In honor of those we have lost, those who have suffered, and those who continue to suffer from mental illnesses, please join us by folding a paper crane to add to an installation that will be displayed in the Children's Place. Feel free to say a prayer as you fold or write a positive message on the inside of the paper.

For those who cannot come to this event, another one will be held on May 31, and origami paper with instructions will be available at a table in the library all month long.

According to Japanese legend, the crane lives for one thousand years and is seen as a symbol of longevity and good luck. It is said that those who help fold 1,000 paper cranes are granted one wish. The most well-known effort was by Sadako Sasaki, a 12-year-old Japanese girl who developed leukemia from the radiation after the Hiroshima bombings. Sasaki exceeded her goal of 1,000 paper cranes, but sadly passed away.

In recent years, paper cranes are often given to a person who is seriously ill to wish for their recovery, or in honor of a group of people who are going through a tremendously difficult time. The paper cranes are usually created by friends, classmates or colleagues as a collective effort, but can sometimes still be made by a single person.