Dear Selection Committee:

Anyone who says that one person can't make a difference in the world hasn't met Peggy Oki.

I've had the tremendous honor of knowing and working with Peggy since early 2004. My organization formed a global coalition of groups with the common goal of protecting whales from the myriad of threats facing them. Peggy came to me with a relatively simple idea --to teach kids about whales and engage them in their conservation through art, specifically through the Japanese paper art of origami. What started as a rather localized event has turned into a worldwide movement, all thanks to Peggy's gentle but determined and tireless efforts.

Peggy has spoken with Ambassadors, traveled to the most recent meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) with the origami whale curtain and even presented officials from the US, New Zealand and Australia with their own honorary strands of origami whales, which they have worn proudly at public events. And the origami whale project has taken root with children around the world, from Africa, to Latin America to Korea, where hundreds of children folded their own whales and sent a message of whale protection at the 2005 IWC meeting in that country.

Now, as the annual IWC meeting comes to US shores in 2007 (in Anchorage), the dangers to whales are greater than ever. I have seen firsthand the great value in efforts such as Peggy's. I'm convinced that she reaches more people through her medium of art than many groups like mine that spend countless hours and countless dollars trying to make a difference. In the coming year, I have no doubt that she'll reach her goal of displaying 25,000 origami whales. I wholeheartedly endorse her efforts and support Peggy being awarded a grant through your foundation. Peggy truly is using art to make the world a better place, one person at a time.

Please feel free to contact me if you'd like any more information in support of Peggy's application.

Sincerely,

Susan Sherwin

Campaigns Manager

World Society for the Protection of Animals - USA