CARP – It was a memory placed on the back of a butterfly and sent on its way.

Carp Commons hosted a Memorial Butterfly Release fundraiser in support of the Arnprior-McNab Seniors at Home (AMBSAH) program on Monday morning (Aug. 19).

Around 20 people purchased a butterfly in memory of a lost loved one and Monday morning, gathered at the West Carleton War Memorial, said a prayer and released the butterfly in to the world.

“Butterflies are a symbol of hope,” AMBSAH’s Becky Ranger told the gathered crowd. “Their brief time on earth is one marked by beauty. Legend has it, if you make a wish it will take it to heaven.”

The Memorial Butterfly Release is meant to acknowledge, honour, celebrate and cherish the lives of loved ones. It was the first time the AMBSAH held the event in West Carleton. AMBSAH held Arnprior’s second annual butterfly release in Arnprior Sunday (Aug. 18).

“It’s a beautiful way to remember your loved ones,” Carp Commons marketing manager Rebekah Gunning, who helped host the Carp event, told West Carleton Online. “And it’s a great fundraiser for an important program that serves seniors in West Carleton.”

Before the release of the butterflies, Ranger read the list of those being memorialized.

“The Carp Commons have supported our agency a lot over the last few years,” Ranger said.

The ABMSAH has provided some rides for clients in West Carleton, but primarily operates in southern Renfrew County.

“We’re starting to look at our reach,” Ranger said about the program expanding west. “We do sometimes get contacted for assistance or a referral.”

ABMSAH has had a long, successful run in the Arnprior area and will be celebrating 40 years next year.

“People know us so it’s often the first point of contact,” Ranger said.