Formerly Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan

Butterfly Release

2024 Butterfly Release Events

“Caterpillars transform into butterflies, and in the same way, our loved ones live on through the memories and legacies they leave behind.” – Unknown

Helping patients and families navigate grief is a key part of how Centrica helps support our community. The symbolic act of releasing a butterfly serves as a poignant metaphor for transformation, renewal, and the natural cycle of life. The act of releasing butterflies can also symbolize the release of grief and the setting free of a departed loved one’s spirit.  

That is why for many years, Centrica Care Navigators has hosted our Butterfly Release Memorial. This event provides an opportunity for children, teens, adults, and seniors in our community to come together and celebrate the lives of those they have lost. Community members are encouraged to attend, free of charge, and enjoy a serene morning surrounded by nature. We invite all to participate in this simple and peaceful reflection and remembrance. After a reading of The Remembrance List of those being honored, each family releases a beautiful butterfly in the garden.

2024-butterfly-T-shirt

Register to buy a commemorative 2024 Butterfly Release t-shirt. T-shirts will be $15 or $18 for 2XL and 3XL, and can be ordered via the registration links below.

Centrica Butterfly-ornament

Order a personalized Butterfly Keepsake Ornament to honor your loved one. Ornaments are $15 and can be ordered via the registration links below.

2024 Events
Events Map

The Butterfly Release is open to everyone in our community, even if a loved one did not receive hospice care from Centrica Care Navigators. If attendees wish to have their loved one’s name added to The Remembrance List, pre-registration is encouraged. The event is offered at no cost to those in attendance. However, if participants wish to purchase butterflies for release or to purchase an event t-shirt, pre-registration is required. Funds raised from these offerings help to sustain Centrica Grief Support programs, which are available free for anyone in southwest Michigan. 

This year, there will be three (3) Butterfly Release Memorial events in southwest Michigan:

Paw Paw Butterfly Event
Paw Paw Event
Saturday, May 18, 2024
9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Lake Front Park, Paw Paw, MI
Battle Creek Event
Battle Creek Event
Saturday, July 20, 2024
9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Leila Arboretum, Battle Creek, MI
Hastings Butterfly Event
Hastings Event
Saturday, August 17, 2024
9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Fish Hatchery Park, Hastings, MI
2024 Sponsors
Become a sponsor
Sponsorship Table

Unable to attend? Give as a sponsor. 

The funds we raise through this event strengthen our ability to provide compassionate care to all who need our services, regardless of their ability to pay.