Our Mission

Why are we called "Paper Crane"?

In Japanese culture, the crane is referred to as the “bird of happiness”, and an ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes can make a wish, and it will come true.

We know that even though a single person (or a single organization) can’t change the world, changing a single person’s world for even a moment is worth the effort.

As the Paper Crane family, our purpose is to make children smile, and our wish is to reach as many children as we can. Just like folding one paper crane at a time, we hope to spread smiles, one at a time.

We are Paper Crane, a student-run organization at UC Berkeley that provides art kits and creative art workshops for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland. Our main goal is to contribute a relief and support system for children who spend a lot of time in the hospital.

Through artistic expression, we hope to alleviate some of the burdens of illness and injury and provide these kids with an inclusive environment in which they can feel safe and happy. We believe in the cathartic powers of art and the ability to empower and spread positivity and community using art as the medium. Hopefully, through our workshops and art kits, we can aid the children in their process of healing.

By recruiting volunteers on campus, we hope to expand to more hospitals and increase the number of art kits we make and workshops we host to form even more meaningful connections with kids who need it the most.