Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care invites all residents of Chautauqua County whose loved one or friend has passed away to join us for our Annual Service of Remembrance in Dunkirk at Point Gratiot Park. We present the remembrance services to memorialize hospice patients who have passed away and for community members to commemorate loved ones who were not under our care.

The services include a short program and music followed by the release of live butterflies, which can be purchased to memorialize a loved one.

The Service of Remembrance and Butterfly Release is available to anyone who has suffered a loss who wishes to remember their loved one in a special way or to process their grief.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, June 1 at 1 p.m. at Point Gratiot Park, Lake Shore Drive West and Point Drive West, Dunkirk.

All CHPC patients who have passed will be recognized in the service. Requests to include a non-hospice patient or exclude a loved one from the event program should be directed to Hospice Bereavement Counselor Jamie Probst at 338-0035, ext. 212. A photo or poem can be included in the service by sending a non-returnable copy to the office.

Butterflies may be purchased to release for a suggested $10 donation. Requests and butterfly reservations must be received by May 25.

In the event of rain, the Remembrance Service will still take place and butterflies will be given to participants to release on their own when the skies clear.

In addition to the Memorial Service, community members who are struggling with the loss of a loved one are also encouraged to take advantage of the bereavement support programs that are available through CHPC.