Hospice plans butterfly release to honor ‘loved ones'

NEWTON-Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice will host its annual Butterfly Release Celebration for Sussex County at the Gazebo of the Sussex County Community College campus at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 12, rain or shine. "This beautiful event honors the life of family and friends who are still with us and the memory of those loved ones we have lost," explained Cecelia Clayton, executive director of Hospice. The celebration will incorporate music, participation from community leaders, the reading of each name being honored or remembered, and, climaxing with the release of dozens of Monarch butterflies. Butterfly Release Celebration participation begins with the purchase of a butterfly for $15, in the name of a special loved one. A commemorative butterfly pin will be sent with an acknowledgement card to the designated recipient. A new butterfly pin is designed and introduced each year as a keepsake for the event. Smith-McCracken Funeral Home will continue its tradition of many years as the event sponsor. "We are very proud to support hospice and the butterfly celebration. Both emphasize the importance of family and friends," said Robert McCracken, owner. Other sponsors for this year's event include Valley National Bank, Gallagher's Home Medical Equipment Service, Bristol Glen, Ferguson Funeral Homes and Newton Trust Company. Many residents of Bristol Glen are also creating handmade items to sell at the event site and will be donating half of the proceeds to hospice. All money raised from the Butterfly Release Celebration will be used to fund programs of the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice that serve terminally ill patients and their families. The Butterfly Release Committee includes Julia Quinlan, Pam Milone of Smith-McCracken Funeral Home, Laurie Grafeld of Newton Trust Company, and Jennifer Smith of Hospice. For more information or to participate in the event, call the Karen Ann Quinlan