Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care will hold its annual Service of Remembrance and Memorial Butterfly Release on Saturday, June 6.

In recognition of the need to maintain social distance, this year’s event will be streamed live on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hospicechautco and butterflies will be released privately.

All community members who have recently lost a loved one are invited to memorialize their loved one. While the service provides families of hospice patients the opportunity to remember their loved one, this year’s service offers a unique opportunity for area families which have been unable to hold their own memorial services due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re here to serve all families of Chautauqua County,” said Shauna Anderson, Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care president and CEO. “Many families have lost a loved one during the pandemic and have been unable to mourn the passing of their loved one due to the restrictions preventing large funeral services. We hope our Service and Butterfly Release will offer one opportunity for our residents to process their grief. We’ve adjusted the event so that families can release their memorial butterflies in private.”

A memorial service program will be published containing the names of those who have passed and distributed with the butterflies. Hospice patients who have passed in the last year will automatically be listed. Individuals who have passed who were not on hospice will be listed in the program if a butterfly is purchased on the CHPC website in their memory. Requests to include an individual without purchasing a butterfly can be directed to the Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care Bereavement Department at 338-0033, ext. 212.

Butterflies may be purchased on the CHPC website at www.chpc.care for a suggested donation of $10. All butterfly purchases and requests to be included in the memorial program must be received by June 1. Butterflies will be available for car pick-up only on Saturday, June 6, between 10 a.m. and noon at one of the two Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care offices at 3780 Eagle St., Fredonia, or 20 W. Fairmount Ave., Lakewood.

In addition to the memorial service, community members who are struggling with the loss of a loved one can take advantage of the CHPC bereavement support programs that are listed on the organization’s website, including online grief support groups and Zoom-based grief counseling.

Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative care provides comprehensive palliative/end-of-life care and education. The organization provides hospice care for patients and families facing life-limiting terminal illness, palliative care for those with serious chronic illness, and bereavement support to individuals, families and organizations who have suffered the loss of a loved one. For more information, visit www. www.chpc.care or call 338-0033.