Creators of the Tree of Hope: (back row, from left) Rainbow World Fund founder Jeff Cotter, Mayor Gavin Newsom, Paul Stankiewicz; (front row, from left) Vicky Mihara Avery, June Sakamoto, Linda Mihara.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) charity Rainbow World Fund (RWF) announce plans to unveil the Tree of Hope in a unique public dedication ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at 5:30 p.m. at San Francisco’s City Hall Rotunda, 1 Dr.Carlton Goodlett Place (Polk) between Grove and McAllister.

This 20-foot holiday tree, donated by the Delancey Street Foundation, will be resplendent with 5,000 white origami cranes and silver stars, each containing written wishes for the future of the world from individuals across the nation and around the world.

The tree-lighting ceremony and party is a free event that begins with a concert at 5:30 p.m. by the San Francisco Boys Chorus. It continues with remarks scheduled for 6 p.m. by the mayor. Donna Sachet will be the emcee; Rev. Lea Brown of Metropolitan Community Church and Rev. Nobuaki Hanaoka, an atomic bomb survivor, are officiating the tree-lighting.

A party with light refreshments and drinks will continue until 8 p.m. Singer Veronica Klaus will provide entertainment. Admission is free.

The Tree of Hope will be on public view from Thursday, Dec. 4, to Friday, Jan. 2.

Everyone is invited to send wishes for the future of the world, will be folded into thousands of cranes by a team of origami enthusiasts including survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The project is a collaboration between San Francisco’s LGBT and Japanese American communities and includes the participation of elementary, middle, and high school students in San Francisco. It is inspired by the story of Sadako Sasaki, a child whose journey and death several years after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima transformed the origami crane into a symbol of world peace.

The Tree of Hope, a gift from the LGBT community to San Francisco, was created by RWF as a way to inspire hope and encourage people to think about what they would like for the future of the world. The project recognizes the needs and desires of individuals to participate in the global community and offers a way for people worldwide to join together to express their hopes and intentions.

The project also challenges people to become more involved and turn their intentions into actions to help heal the world by supporting a variety of projects that are making a difference globally.

During December, the general public and Tree of Hope participants will see the impact of how each crane, together with the cranes of others, can be transformed into a work of art — beyond the scope of one’s individual efforts.

“The Tree of Hope taps into two of our most powerful resources — the human mind and heart — to give individuals a way to join together to express our hopes and intentions for the future of our global community,” said RWF Executive Director Jeff Cotter. “We want to hear from individuals of diverse cultures, points of view, socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, and spiritual beliefs.”

Contributions from senators to school children, from San Francisco to Sri Lanka, make City Hall’s holiday tree a unique and powerful symbol of unity and hope. Some notable wishes on the tree will include those of Jane Goodall, Barack Obama,. Hillary Clinton, Frances Moore Lappe, Danielle Steel, and Stanley Gatti.

Historical Background

In 1955, the folded crane became known as a symbol of peace when the world learned the story of Sadako Sasaki. As a result of exposure to radiation from the Hiroshima bomb, she contracted leukemia. While in the hospital, a friend told her about a Japanese legend that grants a wish to the folder of a thousand cranes.

Her wish was to heal, but Sadako died 356 cranes short of her goal. Her classmates folded the rest and all 1,000 were buried with her. Her hope, strength and determination inspired millions. Cranes from all over the world are placed at a monument dedicated to her in Hiroshima’s Peace Park.

About Rainbow World Fund

Founded in 2000, RWF is an international humanitarian service agency based in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and friends community. RWF’s mission is to promote LGBT philanthropy in the area of world humanitarian relief. RWF works to help people who suffer from hunger, poverty, disease, oppression and war by raising awareness and funds to support relief efforts around the world.

Wishes can be sent to Rainbow World Fund, P.O. Box 14480, San Francisco, CA 94114, or e-mailed via the website, www.rainbowfund.org/wish.
Wishes recorded in the guest book at City Hall will be added to the tree throughout December.

Key Participants

Participants in the project include the following Japanese American community leaders:

• Karen Kai, an independent research and writing consultant, is a community activist who has served on the boards of local, statewide and national Asian American, civil and human rights organizations. She is a former chairperson of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and served as co-chair of its LGBT Advisory Board..

• Linda Tomoko Mihara has lent her expertise to the Tree of Hope since 2006. She is a third-generation Japanese American who began folding origami at age 5. She learned the art form from her grandfather, Tokinobu Mihara, author of two of the first origami books printed in English in the late 1950s.

In 1994, her lifelong fascination with origami led to her design of the Peace Sphere, a three-dimensional globe of 18 cranes folded from a single sheet of paper. In addition to her discoveries in the connected cranes technique, Mihara is known for her sembazuru (1,000 cranes) designs. These mosaics are framed artworks in the form of a family crest or modern design and are done for weddings and other celebrations.

Mihara curated "Transforming Kami: The Art of Origami," an exhibit at the National Japanese American Historical Society and the San Francisco Public Library Main Branch, which are both on view until Dec. 31.

• June Sakamoto began folding origami at age 7 and has since become a leader in the field. Her work has been on featured on "Martha Stewart Living" and on PBS. She was the creator of the American Museum of Natural History's holiday tree from 1996 to 2006.

Sakamoto's art has been displayed internationally and she is the recipient of the Michael Shall Award for East-West relations and the Golden Pleat Award for her international contribution to origami.

• Rev. Nobuaki Hanaoka was a baby when the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. His family lived outside of the most devastated area but was affected by the radiation. Within a few years, while he was still a young child, his mother and siblings died from leukemia.

As a minister in the United Methodist Church, Hanaoka has served at Sacramento Japanese UMC, Epworth UMC in Berkeley, and Buena Vista UMC in Alameda. He was at Pine UMC in San Francisco for 12 years and also served at Calvary UMC and Bethany UMC in San Francisco. He retired in 2007.

Despite health issues related to his radiation exposure, Hanaoka continues to give witness for issues of peace, social justice and nuclear disarmament. He was the keynote speaker at a 2008 ceremony in the East Bay commemorating the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. See a clip from his remarks at www.groundswellonline.org/groundswell/2008/08atomic-bomb-sur.html.

Hanaoka was featured in the 2006 film “In God's House: Asian American Lesbian and Gay Families in the Church” by Lina Hoshino (www.ingodshouse.com/about/html). This groundbreaking film was created in the hope of opening doors to communication for Christian, non-Christian, and LBGT people to come together in fellowship and friendship.

He welcomed participation in the film to explore and share his belief that reconciliation is based upon "knowing the word of God, in the spirit of God and embracing all people regardless of race, color, gender or sexual orientation. The church is not just for ourselves. It is the tree that gives shade to all."

Hanaoka and his wife Ayako have one son and two daughters. One of his daughters, Mioi, wrote about her parents when Hanaoka was honored by Network on Religion and Justice for Asian American and Pacific Islander Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People in 2007:

"What is the meaning of unconditional love? It is to love and accept someone for who they are, no matter what. My parents have demonstrated nothing but unconditional love all of my life, even when I came out when I was 16. I wrote each of them a letter when coming out, as I felt it was easier than having to face them. Fortunately, both my mom and dad reacted so positively and lovingly, it makes me feel very lucky to have them as parents."