************************************************************************************************** 21th Annual Butterfly Release and Picnic
Sunday April 14, 2019 11:30 AM The Compassionate Friends Children’s Memorial Garden
Lafreniere Park, 3000 Downs Blvd., Metairie, LA Bereaved families, relatives and friends who have experienced the death of a child are invited to
attend The Compassionate Friends 20th Annual Butterfly Release and Picnic in remembrance of all
beloved children who have died.
The picnic begins at 11:30 AM at The Compassionate Friends Children’s Memorial Garden. The
picnic is a time to gather together to socialize, to play, to be family. There will be butterfly tattoos
for the children. Families are asked to bring their own food and tables as well as chairs or blankets
on which to sit.
You may come for just the butterfly release at 1:00 PM. There will be a short program of readings,
poems and music. We will have 350 Painted Lady butterflies to give to those in attendance. The
butterflies are inside envelopes. It is an exciting and impressive sight as the envelopes are opened
and the butterflies take flight! Desserts will be served after the release.
“A butterfly lights beside us like a sunbeam. And for a brief moment its glory and beauty belong to our
world. But then it flies on again, and though we wish it could have stayed, we feel so lucky to have
seen it.” The Butterfly Release is not a time to mourn for our children who have died. It is a time
to Celebrate That They Lived! Since early times the butterfly has symbolized renewed life. The
Compassionate Friends has adopted the butterfly as one of its symbols and a sign of hope to us that
our children are living in another dimension with greater beauty and freedom. For more
information please contact Denise St. Pierre, 265-0581 or email tcfnola@gmail.com ************************************************************************************************** Greater New Orleans Chapter of The Compassionate Friends is holding its Annual Children's Memorial Walk and Auction on October 20, 2018 at 10:00 AM Registration begins at 8:30 AM Lafreniere Park, Children's Memorial Garden 3000 Downs Blvd., Metairie, LA The Greater New Orleans Chapter of The Compassionate Friends
invites bereaved parents, siblings, relatives and friends to set the date for a
2 mile “Walk and Auction to Remember” October 20, 2018.
As the world’s largest self-help
bereavement organization, The Compassionate Friends offers friendship,
understanding, and hope to families that have experienced the death of a
child. There are more than 698 chapters
in the United States, including all 50 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and
Guam. The local event is patterned after The Compassionate Friends National
Walk to Remember®. As many as 1,500 participated. Dozens of chapters across the
country are expected to hold a local Walk to Remember during 2018.
The local Walk will start at
Lafrienere Park. Following the Walk, there will be an Auction.
“You do not need to be a member of
The Compassionate Friends to join with us and you do not need to walk the full 2
miles” says chapter leader Denise St. Pierre. “We welcome everyone who wants to
join hands and hearts in remembering all children who have died too soon.”
Registration is $20.00 online or by mail to include a walk bib to record the
names of those being remembered. Participants are encouraged to seek pledges/donations
which will go to the local chapter to support outreach and chapter activities.
Auction: This Walk and Auction is our chapter’s only fundraiser. In order to maintain our chapter, we must
raise money for our monthly meeting room expenses & refreshments, the
monthly newsletter (which includes printing, postage, envelopes, labels and
programs). We also purchase the
butterflies for the Butterfly Release and sponsor the expenses for the
Worldwide Candle Lighting Ceremony. In light of those facts, our fundraiser is
detrimental to the existence of our chapter.
For the past years, the auction
has generated a substantial amount of money for the chapter. Last year we profited $2000.
Our Children’s Memorial Garden is in
need of repair. Many seasoned grievers in 2003 put a lot of hard work into
making this lovely garden in memory of our children. There are some structural
concerns taking place at the garden regarding the brick walls. Our hope is to generate enough money from the
auction to help address the problems at the garden.
Please consider donating items and
soliciting donated items for our auction.
Items that auction well are gift certificates to restaurants, Wal-Mart,
Movie Theaters, grocery stores and such, craft items, jewelry and sports
memorabilia.
“To live in the hearts of those who love us is not
to die.” “We need not walk alone. We are The Compassionate Friends.”
******************************************************************************************* Bereaved Parents, Family and Friends are invited on Sunday December 9, 2018 4:30 PM for our WORLD WIDE CANDLE LIGHTING to be held at the TCF Children's Memorial Garden
We gather at 4:30 PM in the Foundation Center on Lafreniere Park. We will have a potluck dinner before the lighting of the candles. We are encouraging everyone to bring a "pot luck" dish of their child's favorite food and a serving spoon for your dish. TCF will provide water, drinks, paper plates and utensils. At 6:15 pm there will be a procession through a trail of light formed by luminaries along the pathway to The Compassionate Friends Children's Memorial Garden.
The main candle lighting is at 7:00 PM.
There will be a program of musical selections and readings followed by the individual lighting of candles in memory of our beloved children, grandchildren and siblings.
*Candles will be provided. You may bring a picture or other memento of your loved one to hold during the procession and candle lighting.*
For further information you may call Denise at 504-265-0581 |