Boston (Allston) MA — Accustomed to throwing punches and kicks during their classes, the karate students at Emerald Necklace Martial Arts in Boston's Allston neighborhood are trying something completely different: they're working on sending out a message of peace. As part of a dojo (karate school) community service project led by Brown Belt candidate Greg Mudarri, the students are attempting to fold 1,000 origami paper cranes in time to send them to Hiroshima to commemorate the 62nd anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on that city, which is coming up on August 6.
To successfully pass their test for Brown Belt, the students at Emerald Necklace Martial Arts are required to conceive of, plan, and lead a community service project of their own choosing to demonstrate their character, leadership ability, and their commitment to community.
"Greg's project is incredibly ambitious," says Sensei Jason Gould, chief instructor at Emerald Necklace Martial Arts. "In this day and age, it's also incredibly important. Greg's efforts and leadership speak volumes about the nonviolent philosophy behind our martial arts training, and I'm very proud of him."
"Greg's project is incredibly ambitious," says Sensei Jason Gould, chief instructor at Emerald Necklace Martial Arts. "In this day and age, it's also incredibly important. Greg's efforts and leadership speak volumes about the nonviolent philosophy behind our martial arts training, and I'm very proud of him."
To help him reach the goal of 1,000 folded paper cranes, Mudarri has enlisted the aid of local school children. Over the past two months, he has been teaching crane folding in a number of elementary schools in Boston and in his hometown of North Andover. Part of Mudarri's origami lesson includes relating the story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who contracted leukemia from the Hiroshima bombing radiation. Sadako did not survive her illness, but she folded over 1,000 paper cranes in hopes that her illness would be cured. And today, the paper crane is known around the world as a symbol of peace. To date, Mudarri has collected several hundred cranes for the project.
"To try to do a movement for world peace is so hard, but it's similar to recycling," Mudarri says. "Everyone can do their part to make a difference."
Anyone wishing to contribute to the dojo's peace project is invited to contact Sensei Jason Gould at (617) 230-1973.
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