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One Fold at a Time

Thyra and Vivian, 16, are using origami to create community and improve mental health.

November 2025
By Chava Pearl Lansky | Illustration by Andrea D’Aquino

Courtesy of Families (Thyra Foronda, Vivian Liu); calvindexter/Getty Images (Bird); iStockPhoto/Getty Images (All Other Images)

Thyra (left) and Vivian bonded online over their love of origami.

When Thyra Foronda was in middle school, she spent hours folding sticky notes and gum wrappers into heart shapes. She slipped the hearts in between lockers and left them in the halls of her school in Troy, Michigan. Meanwhile, more than a thousand miles away in Houston, Texas, Vivian Liu was folding paper into fortune tellers with her grandmother. She brought her paper creations to school and handed them out to friends.

In 2024, the girls, who are both 16, connected on Instagram over their love of origami, the art of folding paper into shapes. As they bonded over the ways origami had brought joy and calm to their lives, they decided to use their hobby to help others. Today they are the co-founders of Origami for Good, a nonprofit organization that brings teens together to make origami for senior centers, hospitals, veterans’ homes, and more. Origami for Good now has more than 200 chapters across 43 states and 50 countries. Here’s how Thyra and Vivian turned their passion into a global project.

PAPER MEDITATION

Courtesy of Origami for Good

Origami for Good’s chapters all emphasize mental health.

The word origami comes from the Japanese words for “fold” and “paper.” References to origami designs in Asia date back to 1600, but the practice may have originated much earlier. Today many cultures include origami in their education systems. Studies have shown it can help students improve coordination, develop spatial reasoning skills, visualize mathematical concepts, and boost concentration.

Origami can also be beneficial to mental health. According to the American Art Therapy Association, practicing origami can help with creativity, focus, and stress management. Thyra says folding origami has helped her manage her anxiety and depression. “Making origami provides so much mindfulness for me,” she says. “It’s a sort of meditation, because your brain is focused on hand-eye coordination and making sure that the folds match up with each other.” Vivian also uses origami for stress relief. “It’s a way to combine my love for crafts with a way to find calm and connect with others,” she adds.

Origami for Good began as Thyra’s project. After making origami for her friends and classmates, she decided to start sharing her creations with a bigger audience. She and her family folded monster-shaped bookmarks and sent them to local nursing homes. She also started sharing her creations on Instagram. Vivian saw Thyra’s posts and reached out to see if she was interested in teaming up to grow the project.

Vivian and Thyra spent hours discussing their plans over FaceTime. They decided to expand the organization into local chapters that could be run by other origami-loving teens. They created an online application and promoted the project on Instagram.

SHARING THE LOVE

Courtesy of Origami for Good

The Hyderabad, India, chapter raised funds with a bake sale.

Most Origami for Good chapters are founded as school clubs. Vivian and Thyra conduct an online orientation for the group leaders, providing guidance about meetings, fundraisers, and how to run the chapters’ social media pages. Then the groups are off and running. “You don’t need a lot of origami experience to start a chapter,” Vivian says. “There are really intricate origami designs, but there’s also simple origami that can still brighten someone’s day.”

All Origami for Good chapters include a focus on mental health. Thyra and Vivian say the craft helps bring teens together for open conversations about their struggles. According to Vivian, “Doing origami with other people is a great way to bond and talk about issues.”

The girls share a commitment to celebrating origami’s Japanese roots as well. “We use origami to promote understanding of other cultures, especially Asian communities,” Thyra says.

Another goal of Origami for Good is to expand volunteer opportunities for teens. “Students can have trouble finding ways to volunteer,” Vivian says. “We let them volunteer remotely, which is helpful, since a lot of teens have busy schedules.” Thyra and Vivan now share the organization’s workload with a group of teen leaders and interns.

Make a Monster Bookmark

Follow these steps to make your own origami creation.

Brown Bird Design

  1. Fold a square piece of paper in half diagonally so it makes a triangle with the point facing down.
  2. Take a corner and fold it down.
  3. Repeat on the other side, so you have a diamond.
  4. Unfold the flaps to make the triangle again.
  5. Fold up one layer of the triangle tip.
  6. Refold one flap from Step 3. Tuck the flap under the pocket beneath it.
  7. Repeat with the other flap.
  8. This is the base for your monster. Personalize it with eyes, teeth, hair, or whatever decorations you like!

Brown Bird Design

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES

To make Origami for Good accessible to all teens, chapters don’t have to pay dues. But there are still costs. Thyra and Vivian paid to make the organization an official nonprofit and fund its website. Individual chapters have to pay for origami paper and for the shipping costs to donate their creations.

To cover these costs, Thyra and Vivian apply for grants and awards. And individual chapters earn money by hosting fundraisers, like bake sales. Many also use recycled paper or old magazines instead of buying origami paper, which can be pricey.

Today all of Thyra and Vivian’s hard work is paying off. “One of my favorite stories is about a chapter from Hyderabad, India, that hosted a bake sale to raise funds for a local children’s hospital they’d been sending origami to,” Vivian says. A veterans services organization also sent the group a letter thanking them for creating “a moment of wonder and relaxation for our soldiers.” Thyra keeps the letter on her desk. In addition, the duo has heard from chapters that taught local nursing home residents how to fold origami designs and from a hospital that used the group’s origami in their holiday decorations.

Outside of Origami for Good, Vivian is focused on STEM and loves math. Thyra likes learning languages and playing music. But whatever else is going on in their lives, they both turn to origami to stay grounded. “It helps me find peace within myself while bonding with others,” Thyra says. “I love how something as simple as folding paper can turn into a meaningful gesture that supports mental health,” Vivian adds.

Reflection Prompt

How could you turn one of your hobbies into a project to help others?

Real Teens
Mental Health
Coping Skills, Stress & Stress Relief

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