Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: Beth Schnitzer (917) 287-7064 beth@spritzsf.com

The Most Hopeful Tree in the World – Is Here in the Heart of San Francisco

People Worldwide are Invited to Send Their Wishes for the Future of the World

Over 20,000 Wishes Take Flight on the Rainbow World Fund’s World Tree of Hope at Grace Cathedral for Its 20th Anniversary

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — [November 20, 2025] — This December, San Francisco will host the most hopeful tree in the world: the Rainbow World Fund’s World Tree of Hope, the largest origami-decorated holiday tree globally and a symbol of peace, compassion, and unity. Standing 22-feet tall, the Tree is adorned with over 20,000 hand-folded origami cranes, each inscribed with a wish for a better world, with submissions from school children to world leaders, from San Francisco to Sri Lanka. The Tree is a gift from the members of the San Francisco LGBTQ+ and friends community to the world.

For 20 years, the RWF World Tree of Hope has invited people across the globe to share their wishes for peace, connection, and healing. Each wish is printed, folded into a delicate origami crane, and placed on the towering tree that fills Grace Cathedral, turning individual hopes into a collective symbol of global unity, peace, hope, and love.

A Global Tradition, Rooted in San Francisco

The RWF World Tree of Hope comes together through a vast community effort. An extremely diverse team of volunteers throughout the Bay Area, including members of San Francisco's LGBTQ+ and Japanese American communities, survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, local children, and even life-sentence prisoners from San Quentin, dedicate weeks to folding cranes by hand that decorate the Tree. Through this collective effort, personal messages take flight, becoming a living symbol of love, hope, and compassion.

Reflecting on what this effort represents, Rainbow World Fund Executive Director Jeff Cotter says, “At a time when so many people are searching for light, the RWF World Tree of Hope shines with the collective wishes of thousands.  The origami cranes on the Tree are more than paper; they are expressions of courage, love, and belief in a future where all people can thrive. We create the Tree as a symbol of global unity and as a celebration of the power of hope — how essential it is to our survival, our healing, and humanity. We hope that everyone who visits the Tree feels uplifted and inspired to take action to create a better world."

Grace Cathedral’s Dean, the Very Rev. Dr. Malcolm Clemens Young, reflects on the partnership and its meaning to the Cathedral: “This tree reflects what we believe at Grace Cathedral: that all are welcome, all are loved, and all have a place in the story of hope. We’re proud to partner with Rainbow World Fund and the LGBTQ+ and friends community to uplift a vision of peace and belonging that embraces the whole world.”

Notable Wishes

For more than two decades, wishes have arrived from across the globe — notable wish contributors to the Tree include President Barack Obama, Dame Jane Goodall, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Governor Gavin Newsom, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Amma — Mata Amritanandamayi, Shirley Temple Black, Isabel Allende, Joan Baez, Michael Franti, RuPaul, Marianne Williamson, Mariela Castro, Arianna Huffington, Neale Donald Walsch, Kristy Yamiguchi, Tippi Hedron, Courtney Cox, Sharon Gless, Peter Coyote, David Arquette, Frances Moore Lappe, Danielle Steel, Jane Elliot, Julie Newmar, Harvey Fierstein, and Stanley Gatti.

"I dare to wish for a world in which people live in harmony with each other and with the natural world and all the wondrous animals with whom we share the planet."

– Jane Goodall PhD DBE, Founder - the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace

"A world for our children more just, more fair, and more kind than the one we know now."

– President Barack Obama

"Sweet love for all." 

– RuPaul, Entertainer, Citizen of the World

Significance of the Origami Crane:

In 1955, the origami crane became a worldwide symbol of peace when the world learned the story of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Ten years after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, 12-year-old Sadako Sasaki contracted leukemia. While in the hospital, a friend told her about a Japanese legend that said folding a thousand paper cranes would grant one wish. Her wish to be healed grew into a wish for peace for all the world. Sadako died 356 cranes short of her goal. Her classmates folded the rest, and all 1,000 were buried with her. A children’s campaign honoring Sadako’s hope, strength, and determination led to the creation of the Children’s Peace Monument in Hiroshima’s Peace Park. Sadako’s most well-known wish was “I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world.” Sadako’s hope, strength, and determination were the inspiration for the Tree.

How to Participate

Anyone, anywhere in the world, can submit a wish online to be added to the 2025 RWF World Tree of Hope. Each wish is folded into a crane and placed on the Tree at Grace Cathedral. Submitting a wish is free. Wishes will be added to the tree throughout December and are accepted year-round. 

Submit your wish: worldtreeofhope.org

Tree Lighting Ceremony

The Tree will be on display from December 1–January 9 open daily during Grace Cathedral hours–with an official lighting ceremony on Monday, December 8, 2025 from 6:30-8:00 PM at Grace Cathedral featuring community leaders, choirs, and special guests.

Date & Time: Monday, December 8, 2025 | 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Location: Grace Cathedral, 1100 California St, San Francisco

The event is free, RWF encourages all to please RSVP via the website.

The 20th Annual RWF World Tree of Hope Lighting Ceremony will be an evening of music, reflection, and community — honoring 20 years of shared wishes and the people who’ve brought them to life. 

Hosted by beloved San Francisco icon Donna Sachet, and former reporter/anchor for KGO-TV/ABC7, Dion Lim, the program highlights will include:

• Performances: The Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Boys Chorus, The Conspiracy of Beards, and vocalist Leberta Lorál with pianist Tammy L. Hall

• Community & Cultural Moments: Presentations by the Emperor and Empress of the Imperial Court of San Francisco, a blessing and countdown from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and remarks from the Dean and Bishop of Grace Cathedral

• Peace Exchange & Dignitaries: The Very Rev. Dr. Malcolm Clemens Young will lead the exchange of origami peace cranes with Deputy Consul General of Japan Takeshi Ishihara. Consul General of Germany Theo Kindness will recognize RWF’s life-saving Afghan refugee program.

• Special Reflection: Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings in Japan, Rev. Alan Matsui, a child of a bombing survivor, will offer a call for world peace and a reflection on the Tree’s mission to transform remembrance into hope.

This year’s ceremony commemorates two decades of the World Tree of Hope—a tradition that began in 2006 under Governor Newsom’s leadership as Mayor of San Francisco. The tree has spent 11-years at City Hall and 9-years at Grace Cathedral.

About Rainbow World Fund

Founded in 2000, Rainbow World Fund is the world’s first LGBTQ+ based humanitarian aid organization. RWF’s mission is to promote world peace, unity, and hope by leading the LGBTQ+ community to participate in humanitarian relief efforts.

RWF raises funds within the LGBTQ+ and friends community to help people affected by natural disasters, hunger, poverty, disease, oppression, and war. We serve both LGBTQ+ people and non-LGBTQ people in need while increasing the positive visibility of the LGBTQ+ movement. RWF is all volunteer-run. rainbowfund.org

Websites: rainbowfund.org |  worldtreeofhope.org Social Media: @RainbowWorldFund

About Grace Cathedral 

About Grace Cathedral In the heart of San Francisco, Grace Cathedral is the 3rd largest Episcopal cathedral in the U.S. Grace is a famed sightseeing destination for its striking architecture, stunning stained glass, two labyrinths, Interfaith AIDS Chapel, grand organ, and arts and cultural programs. A working cathedral for all people, the cathedral serves the community and its congregation with a deep commitment to social justice. An admission fee for sightseeing includes self-guided tours in multiple languages. Religious services are held regularly. The GraceArts cultural membership program engages the broader community in the cathedral’s artistic, social, and cultural offerings.

For more information, visit worldtreeofhope.org or follow @RainbowWorldFund on social media.

Calendar Listing

Rainbow World Fund: 20th Annual World Tree of Hope Lighting Ceremony

Date & Time: Monday, December 8, 2025 | 6:30–8:00 PM

Location: Grace Cathedral, 1100 California St, San Francisco, CA

Join us for an evening celebrating the hope of humanity at the 20th Annual World Tree of Hope Lighting Ceremony — a San Francisco tradition that unites thousands of wishes from around the world into one luminous symbol of peace. Standing 22 feet tall and adorned with more than 20,000 hand-folded origami cranes, the World Tree of Hope is the largest annual origami-decorated tree in the world, each crane carrying a heartfelt wish for a brighter future.

This year’s ceremony features performances by the Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Boys Chorus, The Conspiracy of Beards, and vocalist Leberta Lorál, accompanied by pianist Tammy L. Hall. The program will be hosted by San Francisco icon Donna Sachet and award-winning journalist Dion Lim, with community leaders and international guests joining together for the official tree lighting.

Tree Viewing: Open daily during Grace Cathedral’s visiting hours — Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday, 1–5 p.m. — from December 8, 2025 through early January 2026. The tree can be viewed from the visitor desk area; however, for the best experience, we recommend purchasing a sightseeing admission ticket.

Learn more at gracecathedral.org/visit/. 

The event is free, and RSVP is encouraged via the website.

Visitors are also invited to add their own wishes and become part of this living monument to peace and unity. Submit your wish: worldtreeofhope.org

Info & RSVP: worldtreeofhope.org | @RainbowWorldFund

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