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Butterfly release marks Truth and Reconciliation Day at Lanark Heights
Month-long Butterfly Project ends with symbolic tribute of remembrance, renewal and hope
10/31/2025
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Deron Hamel
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Lanark Heights residents and team members marked Truth and Reconciliation Day with a special butterfly release.
The event was the culmination of a month-long initiative called the Butterfly Project, which saw residents raise caterpillars to become butterflies. The butterflies were released on Sept. 30, a day that honours the survivors, victims and families affected by the residential school system.
The Butterfly Project began in early September with residents and team members at the Kitchener long-term care community getting caterpillars and waiting for them to become butterflies.
The initiative included three weekly programs that focused on sensory engagement, reminiscing and one-to-one visits across each home area.
Residents were involved from the beginning, nurturing and watching the butterflies grow – a process that sparked connection, curiosity and reflection, says Karla Verdesoto, the home's life enrichment manager.
“(The Butterfly Project) was fully supported by our residents' council and embraced by our whole community,” Karla tells S&R Today.
The goal was to complete the project on Truth and Reconciliation Day, also known as Orange Shirt Day, to create a meaningful moment of remembrance, respect and reflection, she adds.
Butterflies were chosen as symbols of transformation, freedom and renewal, and the event became even more special by turning it into an intergenerational program, Karla says, adding her own children joined the residents to help release the butterflies.
“Residents were deeply engaged and found joy in the children's innocence and excitement,” Karla says.
Before the release, there was a moment of silence in honour of Every Child Matters. To close the event on a positive and healing note, Karla shared a First Nations legend with residents.
The legend says, “If you whisper a wish to a butterfly and set it free, you've given it freedom - and because butterflies don't speak, your wish is granted and kept sacred.”
Karla says this message was “simple but powerful” and resonated with many.
Some of the butterflies even lingered near residents, which fascinated and delighted everyone, she adds.
Staff wore orange shirts to show their support and solidarity, and the event brought together residents, families and staff in a shared gesture of hope, peace and healing, Karla says.
“It truly was a beautiful and unforgettable experience.”
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