Myla Bui can fold a paper crane in under two minutes.

The Saanich teen took up origami as she sat at her sistersa国际传媒檚 bedside after Leila Bui was hospitalized with severe, life-altering injures sa国际传媒� a result of being hit by a driver while crossing the street outside her home in 2017. In the sterility of that hospital room hung a mobile dripping in colourful paper cranes, courtesy of a family friend.

It offered a spot of brightness and Myla first learned about the Japanese legend that promises a wish for the person who folds 1,000 origami cranes.

Enamoured, she started folding for fun.

A couple years ago, her mom Kairry Nguyen suggested the now 13-year-old take a philanthropy course, Myla recalled.

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One step in the Coast Capital Savings Foundation of Youth Giving Hearts Workshop entails creating a fundraiser sa国际传媒� Mylasa国际传媒檚 brother suggested the origami.

While the workshop asked youth to develop a fundraiser as part of the coursework, implementing was Mylasa国际传媒檚 idea.

In 2020, Myla started a campaign called 1,001 Cranes 1 Wish sa国际传媒� adding a crane for luck.

She folds cranes while fundraising. When she has 1,001 cranes, Myla makes a mobile and the Help Fill a Dream recipient receives both the funds and the wish in form of a mobile.

She selected Help Fill A Dream Foundation as the benefactor. Itsa国际传媒檚 the organization that once helped the family build a ramp and get an accessible vehicle so Leila sa国际传媒� who relies on a wheelchair at all times sa国际传媒� to come home.

In the near three years since, shesa国际传媒檚 created a dozen mobiles sa国际传媒� at minimum 12,012 cranes sa国际传媒� for young people facing health issues.

The Help Fill a Dream Foundation supports families from Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands whose lives are suddenly disrupted by a childsa国际传媒檚 diagnosis or severe health challenge.

Shesa国际传媒檚 honed the craft since then, embarking on an initiative with Help Fill a Dream Foundation in 2021 to help raise hopes and funds.

Now in Grade 8 at Arbutus Global School, shesa国际传媒檚 folded sa国际传媒� with a little help at times sa国际传媒� at minimum 12,012 cranes, to create 12 mobiles for the Help Fill a Dream. She presented her latest mobile late last month, this one funded fully by an anonymous donor, to a girl whose wish (granted) is to visit Japan.

Myla took the wish into account, building a mobile with the Japanese character for dream in it.

Aside from the philanthropy, origami remains family bonding time.

Myla and her mom often craft cranes while watching television with

christine.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca

christine.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca
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