The Butterfly Project: A Global Memorial of Tara Kaitlee

After losing my sister, Tara Kaitlee, my world felt heavy and hollow.  I was heartbroken and desperate to create something good from such a deep loss.  Tara struggled so much with her self worth and I knew that if she could see her story helping others, it would have meant the world to her.
One year as a gift, my mother-in-law gave me a large Ziplock bag full of handmade fabric origami butterflies.  I was a little confused at first, but then she explained.
These butterflies were for Tara.  We were going to let them “fly” across the country.  
That’s when The Butterfly Project was born.
I created small laminated tags to go with each butterfly with a short encouraging message, the Crisis Text Line number, and a link to our Facebook group.  I started reaching out in Facebook groups and collecting address from people who wanted to receive them.  And just like that…they started flying.
The butterflies have now made their way across nearly every U.S. state and even Canada, Europe, Africa, and Australia.  People share their photos, their stories, and the butterflies’ new homes in our Facebook group.  It’s become a symbol of hope and remembrance.
For a while, I had to stop shipping due to costs but I’m determined to start again.  I already have a new batch ready to go and my goal is to start sending out one package per paycheck for as long as I can.
If you’d like to receive butterflies in memory or someone you’ve lost, or even just as a symbol of support, please email me. 
Just a heads up: I’m shipping one package per week, so please be patient with me.
Thank you for helping Tara Kaitlee’s memory fly.