The sky above the Legion Park here was filled with “wishes” Sunday afternoon as 48 monarch butterflies were released in a ceremony organized by the Rainy River District Palliative Care volunteers.
And the event ended up being such a success that it’s bound to become an annual event, said volunteer co-ordinator Jennifer Anderson.
“We’re going to do this again,” she vowed Sunday. “I thought it was very successful for a first-time event, and actually next year, I think we’re going to do it in Emo and Rainy River, as well.”
While Sunday’s release saw about 40 adults and children come out to set free the monarch butterflies, Anderson anticipated the release will grow in popularity.
“Because it was a first-time thing, getting word out [is] always a challenge,” admitted Anderson. “But now that people have done it and seen what it is, I think it will be much bigger next year.”
“I’d love it if it became an annual tradition. I think it’s a wonderful idea,” said Pat Bird, who released two butterflies Sunday—one dedicated to her mother, Mercy Edna Thomas, and one for her mother-in-law, Felicia Bird.
“It’s so meaningful,” she added.
“It’s nice to remember someone who’s passed. What better way than with a monarch butterfly,” echoed Helen Hogue, who was here from Winnipeg visiting some family and heard about the butterfly release.
“It’s a fantastic idea, and I think they should continue every year,” she added.
Hogue dedicated her butterfly to her mother-in-law, Madeline Hogue, who passed away in October.
“I just thought it was a neat idea,” agreed Marilyn Allan. “I like butterflies, and I like the idea of releasing them like this. And it’s supporting a good cause, which is palliative care.
“I thought it was a good thing to do,” added Allan, who dedicated her butterflies to her parents, Stan and Sally Allan.
Allan said she hopes the butterfly release “takes off” after this initial event, adding that, just maybe, it might become something of a phenomenon.
“Where my mom used to live in Toronto, there’s a park there and in the summertime, you’ll get this huge conglomeration of monarchs,” she smiled. “So, maybe these guys will come back and visit. Maybe they’ll think this is home.”
Sunday’s butterfly release was preceded by a short ceremony, during which time Anderson explained the origin of the event.
The release of butterflies comes from an American Indian legend that believes that if anyone desires a wish to come true, they must capture a butterfly and whisper that wish to it, she noted.
Since butterflies make no sound, they can’t tell the wish to anyone but the Great Spirit, added Anderson. By making the wish and releasing the butterfly, the wish will be taken to the heavens and be granted.
“It is with this in mind that we will be releasing the butterflies for our family and friends, and for those who have left us behind,” she said.
Back in June, Anderson put out a call for people to buy butterflies for the release at a cost of $10 each. She then ordered from “Magical Monarchs,” a Toronto-based company that raises the beautiful insects for release at special events.
The butterflies then were shipped here, and on Sunday, those who had purchased the butterflies released them from small triangular boxes specially designed for the flying insects.
While not everyone who had purchased them showed up, others on hand for the event released them along with the others.
The Rainy River District Palliative Care volunteers provide support to individuals and families living with a chronic or life-threatening illness by visiting in homes, hospitals, and long-term care facilities.
The role of the volunteer is to listen, advocate for optimal care, assist the individual and family to achieve meaning and satisfaction at this difficult time, relieve caregivers, complement the role of family members, and observe confidentiality at all times.
For more information on receiving this service or becoming a volunteer, call Anderson at 274-4972.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
