Cranes for Kids April 6, 2011 – Posted in: Crafts, Family

Like the rest of the world, my heart broke for Japan in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. People jumped to offer money and goods everywhere they could. I’m not opposed to donating money to amazing resources like The American Red Cross, but I always want to do more. I want my contribution to mean more. I want to help the little guy directly.

So when I heard about Cranes for Kids, I knew THIS was it. This was my way to help. And it was perfect because I was helping the little guys, and girls. As a parent, when I hear about disasters like this, immediately panic for the kids. If this happened to us, how could I keep my girls alive and well? How could we provide for their most basic needs?

Well, OshKosh B’Gosh has taken on one of those needs. Through April 24th, they’re accepting cranes, you know, the folded origami kind. 1 crane in exchange for 1 article of clothing for a kid in Japan! How easy is that?! I got really excited and pulled out my huge stack of scrapbook paper and started folding.

We ended up with 14 cranes, and I’m thinking about making more. I feel like this is such an easy way to help, and takes just a few minutes of my time! They ask you to include your child’s name and hometown on each one, because many of these cranes will be sent to Japan and handed out with the clothes!

There are many ways to make your cranes count–mail them in, take pictures and upload them on their Facebook page, or turn them in at any OshKosh B’Gosh store nationwide (and receive 10% off your purchase that day as a thank you!).

My girls had a wonderful time with the creation of these beauties. Sofie helped me pick out paper and they both liked playing with the birds.

And it was extra special that I was finished with these and ready to mail them today–Chloe’s first birthday! I love that she’s learning about the wonderful gift of giving to others already!

I put 7 cranes in a quart size ziploc bag and squeezed all the air out.

Then Sofie helped me address the envelope!

And they were off! We send our love and well-wishes along with our cranes, and hope our effort makes a difference in the lives of some Japanese friends!