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VIDEO: B.C. teen crafts paper cranes to grant wishes for Help Fill A Dream

Myla Bui raises hopes with paper skills honed at her sisterÎÚÑ»´«Ã½™s hospital bedside
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Saanich teen Myla Bui folds cranes in the thousands to help raise funds and spirits with the Help Fill a Wish Foundation. (Christine van Reeuwyk/News Staff)

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

The Saanich teen took up origami as she sat at her sisterÎÚÑ»´«Ã½™s bedside after Leila Bui was hospitalized with severe, life-altering injures ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ 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 ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ MylaÎÚÑ»´«Ã½™s brother suggested the origami.

While the workshop asked youth to develop a fundraiser as part of the coursework, implementing was MylaÎÚÑ»´«Ã½™s idea.

In 2020, Myla started a campaign called 1,001 Cranes 1 Wish ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ 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. ItÎÚÑ»´«Ã½™s the organization that once helped the family build a ramp and get an accessible vehicle so Leila ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ who relies on a wheelchair at all times ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ to come home.

In the near three years since, sheÎÚÑ»´«Ã½™s created a dozen mobiles ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ at minimum 12,012 cranes ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ 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 childÎÚÑ»´«Ã½™s diagnosis or severe health challenge.

SheÎÚÑ»´«Ã½™s 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, sheÎÚÑ»´«Ã½™s folded ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ with a little help at times ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½“ 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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About the Author: Christine van Reeuwyk

I'm a longtime journalist with the Greater Victoria news team.
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