Origami: Not Just ArtOrigami: Not Just Art

Origami: Not Just ArtOrigami: Not Just Art -->

Originally published in West Windsor & Plainsboro News on Friday, November 20, 2015

Alyssa Leung, a resident of West Windsor, completed her Girl Scout Silver Award project over the summer. A freshman at High School North, she has been a member of Girl Scout Troop 71289 since fourth grade. She built her project on two passions: origami and giving back to the community. Her project, “Origami to Stimulate the Mind and Body,” focused on the issues of social isolation and mind and body stimulation for the elderly.

“Older and aging people are one group at risk and often overlooked,” says Leung. “I organized and led 12 workshops for the residents of Atrium Senior Living of Princeton and members of the Plainsboro Senior Center on the art of paper folding (origami). It gives me great pleasure to share my passion and love of origami with others. I choose to work with seniors because they have helped many others over the course of their lives and this is an opportunity to give back to them and show my appreciation. My workshops provided a purpose and common platform for seniors to meet and interact with others while learning and enjoying the benefits of origami.”

Leung funded her project through a combination of a contribution from troop funds, donations from friends and family, as well as selling eggs from her pet chickens.

“There are things we can do to keep our mind and bodies healthy as we age,” says Leung. “Origami provides the perfect avenue for mental and physical exercise. Studies have shown that the use of your hands directly stimulate areas of the brain. Origami helps develop and maintain hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, mental concentration, patience, and much more. And let us not forget the simple reasons of having joy, satisfaction, and pride in creating something with your own hands. These are just some of the benefits and impact of origami I shared with the participants.”

Her troop leaders are Diane Chan and Ajitha Gadangi. “Alyssa’s project is extremely meaningful and touching. She gave seniors a bright smile and gave them something to look forward to,” says Gadangi, who was her project advisor. “I am extremely proud of her achievements with this.”

Her mentors included Pam Singer, the activities coordinator for Atrium Senior Living of Princeton, and Tina Preville, the senior and special events program coordinator at Plainsboro Senior Center.

Leung acknowledges that the kindness and support from Singer and Preville was instrumental to the success of her project, as well as the invaluable assistance from her supporters Mackenzie Leung, Christine Chan, and her parents.

“I learned that I have more abilities than I gave myself credit for. I learned that skills (such as talent in origami, visual interpretation, artistic nature, thriving in routine, etc.) that I had taken for granted are special and unique to me. I learned how to ask for help. I am more comfortable interacting with adults. With practice I grew more confident and comfortable speaking in front of people each time I led the workshops. I realize I still have a lot to work on, but this experience has given me an opportunity to test and stretch myself in a safe environment. But most importantly, I had fun and walked away with a huge sense of accomplishment.”

Leung continues to work with the residents at Atrium Senior Living of Princeton. She is also now an origami instructor at the Chinese Heritage School (www.­chsnj2000.­org). E-mail girlscoutswwp@verizon.net for information about joining Girls Scouts in West Windsor and Plainsboro as a girl or adult volunteer.

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