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Hearts and Minds with the People of Japan

We've received a slight uptick in traffic in the last week or so clearly in reaction to the recent tragedy that took place off the coast of the Oshika Peninsula of Tōhoku near the Miyagi Prefecture in Japan. We're all aware of what went down, so here's some facts and also news relevant to me:

  1. With a 11,500+ death toll and a 16,000 more still unaccounted for, this is a huge, huge deal.
  2. My girlfriend's family DID feel the quake (and the many aftershocks in the following weeks), everyone is safe. Even, it seems, from radiation. There is a struggle to ration food and other commodities, however, and though I fear many of us in the US are starting to feel like things must be back to normal, I don't believe that's exactly the case.
  3. Wherever you are, you can probably help.

There are numerous charities (...the Red Cross is one) worthy of your time and your dime. The best thing to do, if you're looking for a charity is to use a service like CharityNavigator.org, who ranks charities on a number of different metrics, including user reviews. (You don't want the money you earmarked for Japan to end up lining the pockets of a charity's overpaid executive board, do you?)

Go here to see CharityNavigator's recommendations for donating to earthquake and tsunami victims. Any one of the charities listed on the right should be a fine choice. My recommendation? Donate to Americares. They're not affiliated with any religious group (...like most Japanese!) and have an amazingly high ranking for efficiency and careful expense usage.

Here's the thing though! I've got an even better option for you, if you live in New York. Our friends at the Waltz-Astoria cafe and wine-bar in Astoria, Queens is having a Benefit Event for Japan, working along with the Origami Project NYC folks. You pay $10 to attend (it goes to charity), you'll make a crane, and you'll see some awesome musicians and comedians. Plus? Free snacks.

Thanks for everyone's interest! I'll keep you posted! ..Sign up for updates in the top-right corner of any page!

Best wishes,
Craig

Senbazuru.org Gets an Update

Hello. Just wanted to post and note that the website was given a little bit of a facelift recently. I took the three big buttons and moved them to the header on every page, on the right side. Put a search box in the left sidebar. Added a feed of people talking about the words "paper cranes" on twitter, too.

What is this?

Read about the Meaning of the 1000 Origami Cranes

Senbazuru is a Japanese word meaning "1000 Cranes." It is well-known for the legend which states that whoever folds 1000 origami cranes will be granted a wish. My name is Craig. My mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October, 2009. While our family struggled to handle this tragic surprise, my girlfriend (...She's Japanese...) suggested that we might want to try to fold the 1000 origami cranes as a gesture of our support and dedication. We completed the cranes shortly after her birthday in November and, after dinner on Thanksgiving, we presented her with the 1000 cranes as a birthday gift (albeit a little late). I'd like to provide a resource for anyone else who is taking up this task in support, honor, memory of, or dedication to a loved one. Both I and my girlfriend had a number of questions and tough spots while putting this together, so I believe there's reason to believe others might want some advice as well. Please stay tuned, and, if you want to be alerted when I add to the site, just plug your email address into the newsletter signup field in the top-right corner of this site. Until then, I present the video of my mom receiving her gift. -Craig

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