Today a breathtaking Paper Crane Sculpture debuted in Japan’s Sendai Station, all thanks to people worldwide showing support after the Japan's earthquake. The sculpture is part of a public event called “Gift by Gift for a Better World,” featuring interactive workshops with several area schools.

After the installation was presented, young people gathered to make gift boxes filled with paper cranes, which will be given to children throughout Japan as a symbolic gift of hope and optimism.

Back in 2011, a massive earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, triggering an equally devastating tsunami. The disaster in total killed over 15,000 people and injured 5,800 more.

DoSomething.org quickly brainstormed a response. Our CEO and Chief Old Person Nancy Lublin lived in Japan for a bit, and she advised that cranes were a sign of condolence there.

At lightning speed we created a Facebook group to get people signed up for the movement. We asked people simply to send or take a photo of a paper crane, showing support for Japan. Then, we partnered with Students Rebuild, an initiative of the Bezos Family Foundation, to turn cranes into dollars for reconstruction. For every crane received by mail, the foundation agreed to donate $2, up to $200,000.

2 million cranes from 38+ countries and every U.S. state came in. Participants exceeded expectations and raised $500,000. The funding supports Architecture for Humanity’s efforts to rebuild youth and community centers in the Tohoku region, in partnership with Japanese architects and builders. Now the cranes submitted make up the installation designed by the students at the Tohoku University of Art & Design.

That’s the power of doing something. Follow Paper Cranes for Japan on Facebook in order to see the latest updates with the campaign.