Wishing For a Cure
Gloversville students fold cranes to be sold at 12th annual Relay For Life eventBy KAYLEIGH KARUTIS, The Leader-Herald
Article Photos
GLOVERSVILLE - The story of a young Japanese girl who tried to fold 1,000 paper cranes, an accomplishment said to grant the folder one wish, inspired Gloversville Middle School sixth-grader Alex Bielli to make a wish of her own.
According to the book "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes," the Japanese girl, Sadako Sasaki, died before she could finish. She suffered from leukemia as a result of the Hiroshima bomb and died when she was 12. She tried to fold the 1,000 cranes, which, according to a Japanese saying, grants the folder one wish, but died after folding about 600.
Sadako wished for a cure for her illness. Bielli's wish, she said Wednesday, is a similar one - a cure for cancer.
Bielli said her mother told teacher Pat Donovan about her desire to fold the cranes. Bielli had read the book in fourth grade and folded some of her own, but said she didn't think she could do it all herself. With some help from her friends, and students in several of Donovan's sixth-grade classes, the students exceeded the goal and folded 1,032 cranes since starting in mid-May.
The students will sell the cranes at the 12th annual Relay for Life fundraiser Friday at Park Terrace Elementary School. The proceeds from the sales will be donated. Most of the top folders plan to walk in the event as well.
Alex, who folded about 500 of the cranes herself, said she was inspired by Sadako's story and also had a bit of free time on her hands.
"I may or may not have gotten grounded," she said, smiling sheepishly.
Once the students started, they said, it was easy to continue. Mallory Houghton said she would often fold cranes starting at 10 p.m., when she was supposed to go to bed, and continue into the early morning hours.
"Once you get making them, it takes maybe 30 seconds to make one," she said.
Houghton said her grandmother, who died of brain cancer in January, was the driving force behind her desire to fold.
"We're telling people how serious [cancer] is," Houghton said.
The top six folders - Bielli, Houghton, Arianna Coffin, Emily Towne, Jessica Clet and Priscilla Smouse - all said they knew someone who has been affected by cancer.
"Cancer affects a lot of people," Bielli said.
Donovan said the girls' persistence in folding the cranes spoke to their character.
"A lot of the kids folded one and stopped, because it isn't easy," she said. "They embraced the idea."
The Relay for Life event will be held Friday at Park Terrace Elementary School. It will begin at 6 p.m. and will continue until 8 a.m. Saturday.
Kayleigh Karutis covers Gloversville news. She can be reached at gloversville@leaderherald.com
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daninlouisville
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06-05-09 7:48 AM
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Great job!! How much is shipping on 5 cranes to Louisville KY?
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thebigs
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06-04-09 3:05 PM
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Congratulations ladies! Great job...wonderful to see our youth doing something positive!
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