The devastation of the Japanese earthquake has touched virtually everyone, and it is especially being felt by those members of the University of Lethbridge community who have a personal connection to Japan.

In the previous weeks, a group of Japanese international students, with support from the International Centre for Students, has been raising money in support of relief efforts. They have now created another project, one focused more on symbolism.

A paper crane project will take shape this week in the Atrium. Faculty, staff and students are all invited to participate in the project. To add your own crane to the collection, stop by the table in the Atrium from Monday through Thursday and learn from volunteers how to make a paper crane. You can also drop off paper cranes at the International Centre for Students.

The goal for the paper cranes is that they serve as a memorial symbol of hope, and a reminder of the long term suffering and recovery Japan will face. The cranes will be displayed in a clear glass case as a visual representation of support from the University of Lethbridge community to our friends in Japan.

Yuko Yokota, the wife of Hokkai Gakuen faculty member Eiichi Yokota, has already created and donated 2,400 paper cranes to the project. The goal is to more than match her donation and have 5,000 paper cranes created. It is said that for every 1,000 paper cranes created you will receive one wish.