This year’s Butterfly Run, in support of families who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss, has officially kicked off.
The annual run, which began in 2015 and raises money for the Belleville General Hospital Foundation (BGHF), will be a virtual event this year. Normally held in Zwick’s park, people are asked to run safely on their own this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Butterfly Run Quinte co-founder Beth Primeau explained how the event is happening this year.
“Basically, what we’re asking people to do is to register online and then whenever and wherever you can do your run between May 1 and May 16, we’re asking you to do that. Do it in a social-distanced, responsible way and take pictures of yourself. Post them to Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #ButterflyRunQuinte.”
Primeau said that the event has grown significantly since it started and that there are now also runs in Vancouver and Ottawa. In 2020 the event was cancelled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Friday, April 30 a monument was officially erected in West Zwick’s Park in honour of those who have experienced pregnancy and infant loss. The monument heavily features butterflies and Primeau said that it offers a place for people to reflect.
“The monument represents our journey as the Butterfly Run, as well as we wanted to provide a safe space for families who have gone through a loss to go and take some time to reflect.”
This year’s event will donate money to the BGHF but also to the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Network, or PAIL, out of Sunnybrook Hospital. PAIL is a provincial organization that provides support groups, one-on-one counselling and resources to people who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss.
To anyone who doesn’t know about the Butterfly Run and its significance, Primeau offered this:
“If you’re a family who has experienced a loss or are going through a loss, it can be very isolating. But, to know that you’re not alone and many other people have walked this journey before you, it can help you along the way and that’s why it’s so important to us to make sure that this is not something we don’t discuss, or we hide, or we don’t tell people about. It’s a conversation that needs to be had.”
For more information on the Butterfly Run Quinte 2021 visit the Butterfly Run Quinte website.
To register: https://raceroster.com/events/2021/45378/butterfly-run-quinte
The Quinte region’s Butterfly Girls, Loralee McInroy (L), Beth Primeau (C) and Barb Matteuci (R) started the Butterfly Run Quinte in 2015. (Photo: Courtesy / Beth Primeau)
