(Las Vegas) – Southern Nevada community members who have experienced the loss of loved ones can celebrate and honor their memory during the 13th Annual John Anderson ‘Celebration of Life’ Live Butterfly Release. Nathan Adelson Hospice Foundation will host the event at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 1, at the UNLV Alumni Park Amphitheater, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway in Las Vegas, behind the Flora Dungan Humanities Building and the Student Union. Free parking is available outside the Student Union on Maryland Parkway and Harmon. The butterfly release will commence at approximately 2:30 p.m.
The event, named after a beloved 23-year Nathan Adelson Hospice employee who passed away in April 2007, is open to the public. Butterflies can be reserved in advance for $25 by contacting Stephanie Forbes at 702.938.3910 or via email at sforbes@nah.org. Sponsorship opportunities are available.
“Our ‘Celebration of Life’ event is a wonderful opportunity to honor and pay tribute to those who have completed their life’s journey,” said Carole Fisher, president and chief executive officer of Nathan Adelson Hospice. “Butterflies are a beautiful symbol of transition and can provide comfort and hope to those that have experienced the loss of a spouse, parent, child, or any loved one. An important part of the Nathan Adelson Hospice philosophy is providing emotional and spiritual care to patients and families.”
The premise of the butterfly release is based on an American Indian legend for carrying wishes to the heavens. The legend said that if anyone desired a wish to come true, they had to capture a butterfly and whisper that wish to it. The butterfly, which makes no sound, could not reveal the wish to anyone but the Great Spirit, who hears and sees all. The butterfly carried the wish to the heavens to be granted.
The annual event has brought together hundreds of friends and families to release more than 500 butterflies in the memory of loved ones who have died.
About Nathan Adelson Hospice
Nathan Adelson Hospice, the trusted partner in hospice care and palliative medicine for 36 years, is the largest non-profit hospice in Southern Nevada, caring for an average of 400 hospice and palliative care patients daily. In 1978, Nathan Adelson Hospice began providing home care hospice service in Southern Nevada with the mission to offer patients and their loved ones with comprehensive end-of-life care and influence better care for all in the community. In 1983, Nathan Adelson Hospice opened an in-patient hospice in Las Vegas, and today the hospice is recognized as a national model for superior hospice care. The mission of the hospice is to be the Hospice of Choice, the Employer of Preference and a Training Center of Excellence for comprehensive end of life care. Its vision is simple: no one should end the journey of life alone, afraid or in pain.
The hospice also is home to The Center for Compassionate Care, a non-profit counseling agency providing individual, group and family counseling services to address grief, loss and issues related to surviving life-threatening illnesses. For more information, visit www.nah.org.
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