Local drive for Virginia Tech shooting victims reaches its goal

After nearly three-and-a-half months and with help from 17 states and two foreign countries, a local effort to memorialize the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings has been completed.

In the week following the April massacre, Sentinel pressman Ray Thomas pledged to memorialize the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy by folding 1,000 origami cranes for each victim -- including the shooter. The cranes are expected to be hung in the university's student union.

On Saturday, Thomas met that goal with the help of organizations and individuals from the local community and all around California, the U.S. and as far away as Japan and Mexico. He spread the word about the project through newspaper articles, fliers and bulletins, crane-making classes and word of mouth.

Thomas said he tried to do a demonstration of crane-making wherever he went.

"Sometimes I stop in a coffee shop and get coffee, just to seek out the opportunity to do a demonstration," Thomas said. "All I do is sit down and start doing it and people ask me 'what are you doing?'"

Lemoore resident Takako Cameron, a native of Japan, said she has been folding cranes since she learned about the project five weeks ago.

Since then, she's folded 900 a week. With every crane she made, the Lemoore resident said she said a prayer for the victim and the family.

Cameron said in Japan, giving 1,000 cranes is usually given to those who are sick, as wishes to get well.

In the case of Virginia Tech victims, Cameron said hopefully the cranes will contribute to the peace of the victim and the family.

"I think the Virginia Tech people are really going to appreciate it," Cameron said, of the 33,000 cranes.

Carey Takasaki, an algebra teacher at Lemoore High School, taught her summer school class how to make cranes.

She said the Virginia Tech incident impacts everyone, "even people as far away as California."

Takasaki said she hopes the cranes will convey a message that they care.

"There's not much we can do over here, not for them personally, but we understand how they're feeling and losing a loved one."

For Thomas, from the very beginning, he's hoped that the time and effort involved in the project would provide some comfort to the family members of the victims.

Thomas said he was inspired to start the project after picturing what it must feel like to be one of the victim's loved ones.

"Even though the loss is immense, just knowing that someone has sacrificed so many hours in the pursuit of trying to alleviate my pain -- it has to do some healing," Thomas said.

"It's much more honorable of a gift -- a gift of time spent, rather than just flowers or a card," Thomas said.

Though the goal has been met, Thomas will continue to hold crane-making classes on Friday nights at the Kings Art Center.

The reporter can be reached at 582-0471, ext. 3052.

(Aug. 1, 2007)