Lowell General Hospital Pays Tribute to 9/11 with 2,996 Peace Cranes

According to an old Japanese legend, anyone who folds one thousand origami cranes would be granted a wish.

The Spiritual Care Committee at Lowell General Hospital set forth its Peace Crane Project with a goal of making one thousand origami cranes, symbolizing peace, for the memorial celebration of the tenth anniversary of the events on September 11, 2001.

The idea for the Peace Crane Project stemmed from the inspiring story of a Japanese girl who set out to fold one thousand cranes with a wish for Peace on Earth while she was dying of leukemia – the effect of the atomic bomb dropped on her homeland at the end of World War II.

As a way of honoring the 10th anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001 and to further honor the wish for peace on earth, the Spiritual Care Committee hosted volunteer sessions throughout the summer to teach people the art of folding these delicate origami symbols of peace and reach its goal. Overwhelming support has 2,996 cranes, one for each life taken, that will be strung together and displayed at a memorial service to be held at Lowell General Hospital on September 9th. The paper cranes will be given to patients at the hospital on September 11, as well as one string being sent to ground zero in New York City and one traveling to the Hiroshima memorial in Japan.

The first six cranes given to the Peace Crane Project was from an 11 year old boy scout from Lowell. While visiting his father, Jimi, an LGH employee, Dylan Barrus learned about the project and enthusiastically created and handed over the first six contributions. As a self-taught origami expert, Dylan is helping the committee to reach their goal. By not only making cranes, more importantly Dylan gave lessons to members of the Spiritual Committee and hospital employees on the delicate and precise process of crane-making. Dylan's help with the Peace Crane Project will go towards his earning a community service badge for Boy Scouts.