On August 8th, The Katie Elise Lambert Foundation held a Memorial Butterfly Release in Philadelphia. Over 300 people joined us that afternoon and over 100 butterflies were released in memory of our loved ones. During the weeks prior to the event we invited the public to join us in remembering those whose spirits remain in our hearts but are no longer with us physically. I received many butterfly requests...from parents who had lost children, children who had lost parents, friends who lost friends, wives who lost husbands and the list goes on.
I prayed that the event would touch and comfort those who were still grieving.
We were so blessed to have had several organizations present sharing their expertise including:
http://www.safekids.org/,
http://www.luluslullaby.com/, The Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the Autism Society,
Burholme Ambulance and The Philadelphia Fire Department, Engine 56. I thank them all for participating in our event. They were all wonderful. I also want to extend a huge thank you to
http://www.jeanes.com/ (
Jeanes Hospital) for giving us this wonderful opportunity and allowing us to use their campus for this event.
How lucky we were to have had State Representative Josh Shapiro speak about furniture tip-over and The Katie Elise Lambert Safety Task Force in Pennsylvania. We are truly blessed to have him as our governmental representative. Also on hand was Joey Fortman from 97.5 FM and MyPhl17. She spoke from the heart how she had been touch by Katie's story and how her son will now be safer because of her.
When it was time for the butterflies to be handed out, you could feel the excitement stir in the crowd. The Monarchs were delivered in small triangular boxes and the crowd gathered tightly. We counted down from ten and before we knew it over 100 Monarchs graced the air to oohs and aahhhs from the crowd. It was heartwarming and bittersweet as memories of my daughter flooded my soul. It was amazing.
Here are a few pictures from the event. Enjoy.
