The Butterfly Run in Quinte has been virtual this year and goes from May 1 to May 16. Photo via butterflyrunquinte.ca [1]
By Maria Toews [2]
BELLEVILLE – The annual Butterfly Run in Quinte [1] is coming to a close this Sunday but is leaving behind a permanent gift to the community.
This gift is a monument [3] made in memory of all those who have lost their children in infancy or during pregnancy.
The monument was unveiled on May 1, the first day of the virtual Butterfly Run this year. It aims to encourage more discussion and awareness around the topic of pregnancy and infant loss.
According to the Ontario Prenatal Education [4], it is estimated that one in every four pregnancies ends in a loss. The Butterfly Run in Quinte hopes to take away the stigma around this taboo topic and make an open and safe support network for bereaved families.
The Butterfly Run in Quinte does this in many ways. Through the funds raised during this run, they create and distribute Butterfly Kits containing various items of comfort and support to the local hospitals of Quinte Health Care.
They also provide additional resources to the maternity floor at Belleville General, such as baby clothing, children’s books and stuffed animals.
Additionally, they provide staff training available for nurses, doctors, midwives and staff who might meet families who have had a loss.
This year the Butterfly Run has been made virtual and goes until May 16. Going virtual means people are running on their own. However participants are still paying a registration fee and are raising money for their run. If you are interested in donating, you can go to the event’s website [5].
You can find out more about this event here [6] and click here [7] if you would like to participate.