Hospice butterfly fundraiser in Kelowna celebrates circle of life

Hundreds of butterflies will be released from the on top of Dilworth mountain in Kelowna in memory of loved ones who have passed away. The Butterfly Effect, an annual fundraising event held by the Central Okanagan Hospice Association, will celebrate the cycle of life and bring community members together in remembrance.  “It’s an event where our community can come together to connect and to remember loved ones by way of releasing a butterfly which is symbolic and unique to each of us,” the hospice association's executive director Natasha Girard says. Over 500 attendees are expected with hundreds of butterflies to fly through the air at Falcon Ridge farms on Saturday, July 13. The event will begin at 10:30 a.m. and feature live music, games, art activities and refreshments and will conclude at 12:30 p.m. leaving time for the butterfly release in the middle. Girard says the number of attendees shows how meaningful this event is to community members and how it takes a community to support each other and provide strength to move forward in life. The hospice’s mission is “offering compassionate care, comfort, support and learning to those who are dying or grieving alone within our community,” while the vision is “creating a community where no one has to die or grieve alone” “Its quite emotional for people to be able to experience that, especially as they’re remembering their loved one. We see a lot of tears, we see a lot of people hugging and a really community healing connection which is really powerful in itself,” Girard says. Butterflies for release are being sold for $55 each or $150 for three with 90% of the butterflies already sold out. Butterflies are sourced through a local butterfly farm in Langley and the release is weather permitting to ensure safety and conservation for the butterflies. “It is quite special in its own way and we feel quite privileged to be able to provide this opportunity for the community,” Girard says. For more information about The Butterfly Effect and to buy butterflies, go here https://hospicecoha.org/special-events/butterfly-effect-2024/ . To contact a reporter for this story, email Bailey Zimmer mailto:bzimmer@infonews.ca  or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .