Midcoast-based nonprofit Madeline’s Mission will unveil a children’s memorial garden with a small ceremony at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 5. May 5 is recognized as Bereaved Mother’s Day, a day intended to honor mothers of children who “hold their children in their hearts, instead of their hands,” according to a prepared release from the nonprofit.
A central feature of the memorial garden will be bronze butterflies, shown here in a rendering from 2022. Families will be able to personalize a butterfly in memory of their beloved child. Courtesy of BR Delaney
The central feature of the garden is a butterfly garden. Fixed into a granite base, bronze butterflies will sit atop stainless-steel rods. Families will be able to personalize a butterfly in memory of their beloved child. Artwork and flower-shaped marimbas will also make the space whimsical and welcoming. Last fall, more than 1,100 donated bulbs were planted along with other plants purchased by Madeline’s Mission, guided by the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.
The gift of space from Mid Coast-Parkview Health made the garden possible. Located by a little pond on the Parkview Campus of Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, the Madeline’s Mission Memorial Garden will be a place of healing for grieving families. The ceremony to unveil the new monument will include reflective readings/poems written by bereaved parents, remarks from the hospital and artists, and the acknowledgement of the children memorialized with a butterfly by reading their names and blowing bubbles. There will also be a butterfly craft- and kindness stone-making station.
“Saying their names is so important to bereaved families, they never want to feel as though their child has been forgotten,” said Amie Marzen, president of Madeline’s Mission and the namesake’s mother. “Our families are very excited to make this space a reality, and to have a place to come to not only honor their child but to see they’re not alone in their loss.”
The memorial garden by Madeline’s Mission will be installed near a pond at Mid Coast Hospital’s Parkview Campus. Courtesy of Madeline’s Mission
The project was made possible with the support of the community, including Mid Coast Hospital, Fieldstone Artistry, Maine Dry Stone, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Lorelei Vella Designs, the Moving Company Dance Studio, Crystal Vision Tribute Band, Hanover Insurance volunteers, Bath at Play and 100 Plus Women Who Care in Southern Maine. Through this support, scholarships are available for families that would like a butterfly but find it is cost prohibitive.
Marzen said that additional butterflies will be added to the monument twice a year.
“We hope to keep adding flowers to this space and nurture its growth,” she said. “It’s been very healing for our families to come and help add to the beauty of the location while reflecting and connecting with others. It truly is a green-thumbed labor of love.”
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