By KATHRYN ACREE
Greystone Elementary students Brooks Rice, Shion Yoshida, Rio Adachi and Sammy Johnson stand with crane project organizer and first grade teacher Lori Pollard. Photo by Kathryn Acree.
After the earthquake and resulting tsunami that recently struck Japan, Greystone Elementary first grade teacher Lori Pollard’s thoughts turned to former Japanese students who had returned home.
“When I heard the news on March 11, my heart just ached,” Pollard said. “We’ve had many Japanese children attend Greystone Elementary while their families work for Honda. Often they have lived here for three to five years.”
After finally getting into contact with the families they knew in Japan and discovering they had survived, Pollard began to look for a project benefitting the recovering country.
While looking online, Pollard discovered an organization called Students Rebuild that encourages making origami cranes for Japan. The Bezos Family Foundation has committed to a $200,000 donation by paying $2 for every origami crane received. Once receiving 100,000 submissions, the cranes will be woven into an art installation in Japan to show students the support they have from their peers around the world. Funds will also go to reconstruction through Architecture for Humanity. Continue reading
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