County family honors 9/11 victims with 2,977 paper cranes

Blue origami figures will be hung on city park’s oak tree.

A Gwinnett County school bus driver is honoring the lives lost in the Sept. 11 attacks by folding 2,977 paper cranes.

Daniele Rober t s, her husband and two daughters spent months folding the blue origami cranes and writing the names of the victims and the 20th anniversary date of the attacks on them. The cranes will be strung together and hung on a large oak tree in Lilburn City Park.

“It’s very humbling,” said Roberts of the planned Lilburn ceremony. “... I like the fact that my project is communal. It brings everybody together.”

The art installation will be introduced to the public with a brief ceremony at 12 p.m. on Saturday by the oak tree in front of the children’s playground in the park. In case of rain, the ceremony will be moved to the Gar- trell Nash Pavilion.

The idea came to Roberts, who lives in Stone Mountain, while driving her school bus. She said she took inspiration from the Japanese tradition of folding 1,000 paper cranes, a legend that prom- ises happiness, good luck or a wish come true.

The 9/11 Memorial Museum in the city features a wall with blue squares for each victim of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and 2011 attacks. Many people recall the clear, blue skies that shone over New York City on the day of the attacks, which Roberts said led to her color choice.

Roberts personalized each crane while in silence or with soft music playing, she said, reading each name aloud before writing it. She didn’t lose anyone close to her during the attacks, she said, but the significance of the event to several generations led her to create the project.

“I think that’s where the humility comes from,” Roberts said. “It’s kind of everybody’s story.”

The art installation will remain up for the public to view until Sept. 13. It’s still unclear what will happen to the cranes after they come down, Roberts said.

Duluth, Norcross and Suwanee along with other communities across metro Atlanta will also hold events to honor the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.