A butterfly is pictured on a flower. Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care will host its annual Service of Remembrance and Memorial Butterfly Release on Saturday, June 6.

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

“In many cultures, butterflies symbolize the remarkable transformation between worlds,” said Jamie Probst, Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care director of bereavement services. “As butterflies emerge from their chrysalis, they signify both an end and a beginning, a profound representation of the journey of grief. It is through this journey that we discover new ways to cherish and preserve the bonds we shared.”

The service will include a brief memorial program followed by a butterfly release. The service will be livestreamed from Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care’s Facebook page at 1 p.m. and the video will remain available afterward on both the Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care website and Facebook page. Community members are also invited to attend the live recording and butterfly release in person at Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care’s Lakewood campus at the same date and time.

Guests may pick up butterflies Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at either the Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care location at 20 W. Fairmount Ave., Lakewood, or at 15 W. Sixth St., Dunkirk.

Each butterfly may be purchased in memory of one or more loved ones, and memorial names will be included in the online memorial program. Names may also be submitted for the memorial listing without purchasing a butterfly. The memorial program will be posted on Saturday.

“At CHPC, we witness every day how deeply love continues long after loss,” said Mike Testa, Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care CEO. “Our Butterfly Release and Service of Remembrance gives families a chance to pause, reflect, and honor the lives and memories of those who will always remain part of them. It is one of the most meaningful ways we come together as a community.”

For more information, contact Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care at 716-338-0033 or visit the Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care website.