MEMPHIS — A butterfly release and program on Mother’s Day 2016 took the opportunity to honor and remember loved ones.
Forest Hill Community Outreach, a program of Forest Hill Funeral Homes, hosted its first Mother’s Day Memorial Butterfly Release on May 8. Plans are to make the ceremony an annual event.
More than 200 guests gathered for the 4 p.m. remembrance at Forest Hill Memorial Park, 2440 Whitten Road, Memphis.
The free community event was open to the public. An hour-long program supported those who have lost a parent, child or other loved one.
The keynote speaker was Tina Schaber of the Bartlett Police Depart-ment, who shared a message of hope and healing. Mary Green shared her story as a mother who lost a child, and Mrs. Debbie Gregory shared from the perspective of the loss of her mother.
The guests enjoyed an uplifting liturgical dance performance by Mariposa, a theatrical dance group of the Bartlett Senior Center.
At the conclusion of the program, each guest received a live butterfly, and together they released the butterflies into the sky as a symbol of love, transformation and hope.
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orest Hill Funeral Home General Manager Mark Ballard said, “Our desire is to join with the Memphis community to bring comfort and hope and to honor the memory of our loved ones. Forest Hill Community Outreach is committed to offering quality healing experiences for all those affected by loss.”
For information on free community events intended to enhance the overall well-being of community, contact Community Outreach Coordinator Lolita Poplar at (901) 382-1000.
