Jennifer Hu, president of Wishing Crane Project and senior

What is the Wishing Crane Project?

The Wishing Crane Project is a club that is here to fold paper cranes, to spread positivity to the hospital patients. So we just write jokes on them to spread positivity. 

Why did you choose to join the Wishing Crane Project?

I chose to join the club originally because some of my friends were club leaders. I wanted to support their club. Then when I joined it, I realized how fun it actually was. We get to make the crafts together. 

What’s your favorite part of the Wishing Crane Project? 

My favorite part is probably just folding the cranes because I used to do origami in middle school and I learned to fold paper cranes in middle school. But I was able to use the skill in the club I am in. 

What is the purpose of the Wishing Crane Project? 

The purpose of the Wishing Crane Project is to spread hope and positivity into hospital patients. We do that through folding cranes. 

What is the symbolism behind the cranes for the Wishing Crane Project? 

Basically just a Japanese story about a little girl who is sick, where she folded 1,000 cranes. More specifically a little girl exposed to radiation from Hiroshima. There was a Japanese legend that folding 1,000 paper cranes grants a wish. She began folding them in the hospital where she recovered. So then her story inspired a national holiday.  

Who receives the finished cranes from the Wishing Crane Project? 

All the hospice patients that we send them to. Creating a scope of hospitals that we donated them to. See how many of them they need to give to hospice patients. 

Sihan Wu, vice president of Wishing Crane Project and senior

What is the Wishing Crane Project?

The Wishing Crane Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to instill positivity and happiness for hospital patients through our crafts such as origami cranes. With the cranes we write notes such as jokes on them. 

Why did you choose to join the Wishing Crane Project?

Sometime during freshman year I was very interested in origami, so I was trying to find a club that was about origami with some of my friends. I incorporate my origami to try to help other people. 

 What’s your favorite part of the Wishing Crane Project? 

I just like making cranes, so it is really to be in a club with my friends. 

What is the purpose of the Wishing Crane Project? 

Bring a lot of joy to hospital patients to combat loneliness. 

What is the symbolism behind the cranes for the Wishing Crane Project?

 There is this Japanese story about a girl who’s sick. She built 1,000 cranes to make a wish, so that is the symbolism behind cranes. 

Who receives the finished cranes from the Wishing Crane Project? 

The hospital patients from hospitals around here. 

Is there anything else I haven’t asked that readers should know about the Wishing Crane Project? 

We started this new project with not just cranes but also these paper straws that we are using. It is a very fun club to be in. 

Danielle Tinkel, Wishing Crane Project sponsor

Why did you choose to sponsor the Wishing Crane Project?

I choose to sponsor because I did a lot of origami growing up. I don’t make the cranes with the students this time around, but I enjoy providing them a space where they can come and create stuff and just have a good time and hang-out. 

What is the biggest impact on the Wishing Crane Project?

The biggest impact is definitely when students go deliver the cranes to the hospitals, hospice centers, nursing homes. The cranes are meant to bring joy and optimism to the patients there because a lot of them are terminally ill, so it’s nice to see that all the cranes get taken and go to hospital and go to a good cause. 

How do you define service or an act of kindness for the Wishing Crane Project? 

I would say it’s just being kind and being considerate on the wishing crane wings of the actual cranes. We write jokes or something well meaning. We avoid phrases like, “Get well soon” because a lot of the patients will not get better. Therefore, just being considerate is really the act of service and just bringing in the joy without reminding them of their illness or their sickness. 

How does the Wishing Crane Project fit that definition? 

Definitely like the act of service like I talk about in general. For me, personally, acts of service are very important for community service and stuff like that, so the Wishing Crane Project kind of gives back to the community without really expecting anything in return. Once we get enough cranes, we just donate them and kind of don’t expect anything from the organization or the hospital.  

What did you learn from sponsoring the Wishing Crane Project?

I think I learned on a practical level how to make cranes because I have forgotten since I was a kid. But on a more abstract level, I think it’s just how to be kind without really doing a lot. The cranes are pretty low-budget and the jokes are kind of cheesy, but it really shows that you can bring someone joy or you can show compassion without really having much on you. Providing what you have to make someone happy. 

How might it influence your future actions toward the Wishing Crane Project?  

I think I will continue to be the sponsor even if the president would like to change. I would like to remain the same. I really enjoy my students who come to the club and look forward to seeing them. It is very laid back and a lot of the community is tight knit, so you see a lot of the same faces over and over again. So I would like to keep it as long as possible. 

Is there anything else I haven’t asked that readers should know about the Wishing Crane Project? 

Readers should know that they can earn community service hours by folding cranes. You don’t have to come to the club to fold the cranes. You can actually make them at home and bring them to the club. You can earn some service credit by doing that. I believe cranes one to 250 are three minutes per crane and after that 250 to 1,000 are one minute per crane. So it is a great low-budget and easy way to earn service hours.