Cascade Health’s Memorial Butterfly Memorial Release
Each year, the flutter of wings lifts the spirits of those mourning the loss of a loved one as hundreds of butterflies take flight at Cascade Health’s Annual Memorial Event & Butterfly Release. The event is a beautiful, heartfelt way to honor those we’ve lost and bring hope and comfort to the grieving.
Check back for more information about the 2023 event or contact us.
Cascade Health held its first annual butterfly release in 2011. Deena Wolfe, our bereavement coordinator and a chaplain at Pete Moore Hospice House, conceived of the event to give families of Cascade Health hospice patients who had died that year a meaningful way to commemorate their loved ones’ lives and deaths. Many families chose to continue participating year after year, using it to remember and honor the person they lost.
We chose to open the event to all families in our community because we want anyone who is grieving a loved one to be able to participate in the healing of the ceremony.
Butterflies hold symbolic meaning for many people around the world. The transformations a butterfly goes through in its short life are often compared to the transformation we ourselves experience. Some see the “death” of the caterpillar and emergence of the butterfly as a symbol of life after death, the release of the spirit or simply a beautiful representation of the earthly circle of life.
Regardless of your religious or spiritual beliefs – or lack thereof – the release of a butterfly seems to touch the hearts of the grieving. Whether you see in its flight the spirit of your loved one soaring; the beauty of the world that remains despite your sadness; or the release of a small part of your sorrow, we hope the Cascade Health butterfly release brings you comfort and helps you heal.
2022: Taking Flight
Welcoming people back to Pete Moore Hospice House after a two-year absence to release nearly 300 Painted Lady butterflies warmed our hearts in 2022. Seeing people gather, stand witness to each other’s emotions and find their own release in the ascent of each butterfly was a hopeful, touching experience.
More than 123 families participated this year, raising $5,973 to ensure our continued ability to provide compassionate care and comfort to people nearing the end of life, and support for their families. May the beauty of the butterflies in our video of the event bring you solace.
Please Join Us in 2023
We invite everyone in the Eugene-Springfield community to participate in our 11th annual event in 2023. You do not have to be a Cascade Health Hospice client to participate. We welcome anyone who has lost a loved one to join us.
An RSVP will be required. We ask that you consider a $15 donation for each butterfly to bring peace and comfort to hospice patients and their families. Event information will be available in spring of 2023. Please contact our bereavement coordinator, Deena Wolfe, at (541) 228-3083 or dwolfe@cascadehealth.org for more information.
