"My dream started two years ago, when my fourth grade class read a book entitled, Sedaka and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Sedaka was a young girl who contracted leukemia as a result of the bombing at Hiroshima.
A belief of her culture was that if one folded 1,000 paper cranes before dying, he/she would recover from the illness. Sedaka did not succeed in folding the 1,000 cranes but her classmates did in memory of her. A monument was constructed in her honor in the middle of the square where she lived.
After Crate Day, a plan was developed to have a suitcase containing some of the cranes and information about Maine, replicate the Spirit of St. Louis's flight with stops in San Diego, St. Louis, New York, Paris, Washington, and return to Maine. The cranes would visit elementary and middle level classrooms in each city where simple information about that community would be added to the suitcase.
Examples of information in the suitcase include a video made by the 4th grade here in Maine and Governor King's own blueberry cobbler recipe along with blueberries from the Jasper Wyman company needed to make it. Later, the Cedar community at the Skowhegan Area Middle School added gifts for both the New York School in Long Island and the Vive La France School in Paris, France.
With the help of local businessman, Chuck Cianchette, Mr Gilbert and 4 of his students flew the cranes on their first flight past the crate. They were airborne. If you would like to hear more about Mr. Cianchette's company, Cianbro, check out their webpage.
Follow this link:How to get the Cranes from Maine to San Diego?
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