In true Franciscan spirit, the St. Bonaventure community will come together at the Thomas Merton Center on Tuesday, March 29, from 7 to 10 p.m. to fold paper cranes and help bring hope to those suffering in Japan after the terrible earthquake and tsunami.
The cranes — Japanese symbols of happiness and peace — will then be given to those making a donation for the people of Japan.
Don’t know how to make an origami crane? No problem. Leaders will be at different stations throughout the Merton Center Tuesday evening to teach you how!
Stop by for 10 minutes or three hours and make as many cranes as you can.
Students from the Olean area are also assisting in the project. Students who attend an after-school program at the Afro-American Center as well as fourth-graders from Ivers J. Norton Elementary School have been making cranes. They will also be delivered to the Merton Center Tuesday evening to be added to the cranes crafted by St. Bonaventure students.
Beginning Wednesday, the SBU community is invited to stop by a table in the Reilly Center or Hickey Dining Hall to make a donation for earthquake relief. In return, supporters will receive one of the colorful cranes. Donations — which will be given to Franciscan Friars working in Japan — will be accepted through Friday, April 8.
The most powerful quake ever to hit Japan struck March 11, followed quickly by a devastating tsunami that swept over cities and farmland. The final death toll is expected to reach nearly 20,000. More than 190,000 people remain housed in temporary shelters.