Together with American Airlines, we brought an origami crane fabricated out of steel recovered from 9/11 on our 1st mission in 2012. This symbol of quake recovery from the international community dedicated for children’s comfort was inspired by Sadako Sasaki, who died at age 12 from radiation exposure after the bombing of Hiroshima. One of Sadako’s origami cranes was previously donated to the 9/11 Tribute Center and we made a symbolic return of Sadako’s wish for peace and comfort for children.
Yuji Sasaki, Sadako’s nephew joined us in hopes to continue spreading her compassion for others.
Children’s Storybook:
Koriyama West Rotary supported us to publish a children’s storybook about Sadako’s Soaring Crane and transformation of late 12 year old girl’s story aboutstrength and courage to move forward. As a program for Kids in Need, Rotary will donate more than 1,000 copies of this storybook to make available at all elementary schools and libraries in Fukushima.
“Soaring Crane” an origami crane monument fabricated out of steel recovered from Ground Zero
Kids in Shin-chi machi, Fukushima listening in to MESSAGE ON A WING
Children in Otsuchi, Iwate with MESSAGE ON A WING
MESSAGE ON A WING from Hiroshima to 9.11 to 3.11
Children’s Message from Metro New York Church:
Children from NY, NJ, and CT came together and make wishing cards for children of disaster stricken areas of Japan. We send off more than 70 children’s wishes at Sendai Tanabata Festival, one of the three largest festivals of Tohoku. Wishing for prosperity, health, and long lifewith paper cranes and wish cards are one of the seven features of more than 200 years tradition of Sendai Tanabata Festival.
We brought more than 70 children’s wish cards from children in US to Tohoku
9.11 family members decorate Tanabata streamers with children’s wish cards
Streamers are hanging from a huge Bamboo tree.
Team work: We owe success of our mission to an incredible support from the local community.
Sendai Rotarians arranged for us magnificent streamers to decorate children’s wish cards from US
Koriyama West Rotarians arranged for us to march the Uneme Festival in a traditional Yukata along with the past governor of Fukushima, Mr. Eisaku Sato.
Toshiko and Kiomi volunteered to support our mission for the 2nd time.
Dr. Suzuki and Kokorogake team members arranged for our dialogue with people in Otsuchi, Iwate
Round table discussion with Fukushima Medical University, Nagomi, and Tsukuba University team
Our presentation at Tohoku University International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS)
Consulate General of Japan in New York arranged for our team to greet and report our mission to the Minister of Reconstruction at the end of our trip.
JMSA greatly appreciates the goodwill and generosity of our collaborating partners. Special thanks go to American Airlines for generously providing roundtrip tickets from New York to Tokyo, Rotary Club for local arrangements, Japan Society for program development, and United States-Japan Foundation for funding support for this program. We are very honored to have received recent accolades from the American Psychiatric Association, Asian American Federation, Hamilton-Madison House, Japanese American Association, Lions Club, and more for our community outreach efforts.