NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — June 21st is known as the day of the year we enjoy the most sunlight. It's also a day that one non-profit holds a yearly fundraiser called, appropriately, The Longest Day. People take part in this in every way you can imagine. One story is especially unique.
Pink, yellow, orange, blue, and green papers sat on a table at UBS Financial Services. They were about to be used to help tell the story of financial adviser Gordon Brewer's mom.
"Her given name is Katherine, but she was born and reared in Japan, so the name she went by her whole life was Keiko," Gordon explained.
Gordon's mom was a twin. With their parents working as teachers and missionaries in Japan, the girls spoke only Japanese for most of their childhoods. Gordon's mom was a kind and supportive woman. In her early 80s, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
"She basically, she apologized," said Gordon, remembering the diagnosis. "In the last three weeks of her life, she reverted to speaking only Japanese. She was going back to when she learned to speak, and it was Japanese."
It's coming up on six years since Gordon's mother died, still as loved as ever.
So, what's the story with these papers?
"Crease, crease, crease!" said Gordon, instructing a group of coworkers in a conference room.
You see, his mother loved the Japanese art of origami.
Staff of UBS Financial Services were working to create dozens of paper cranes.
"Cornhole! I can do that!" said one employee, laughing as he worked on his first crane.
"I think precision is the key," added another, carefully folding another crease.
"It's going well so far. This is what I have," laughed a woman, holding up a wrinkled piece of paper.
Joining them at the table was Madison McCartney with the Alzheimer's Association. She's the development manager for the organization's The Longest Day fundraiser.
"People all across the country host activities, fundraisers all to raise funds for the disease," she said.
That's what Gordon's team was doing, raising money for the Alzheimer's Association by having people sponsor each crane they make or just donate.
After a little trial, a little error, the paper cranes were starting to look pretty good.
"Came out better than I thought to be completely honest," one employee smiled.
"Mine's not the best, but I tried," laughed Madison, holding up her paper crane. "She's my baby! She's cute, but she doesn't look like she's supposed to, I don't think."
"It's just a reminder, I think, that everybody has a story," said Gordon. "When people know your story, they tend to want to help. As naive as that may sound, that's the takeaway for me. People walking by the conference room may say, 'yeah, I'll fold a crane', and 'tell me about your mom, tell me about what you do.' People are good. They care about our family, and it's special for sure."
Gordon tells us many of these cranes will be delivered alongside notes to children's hospitals.
If you'd like to donate, visit here.
