Animal sanctuary created in Sandy Hook girl’s memory marks milestone celebration Saturday
This weekend is the 10th annual Catherine's Butterfly Party, which honors a little girl killed at Sandy Hook by continuing to spread her compassion and kindness for animals.
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This weekend marks a milestone for an annual celebration in Newtown that honors a little girl whose love for animals has lived on long after her death.
Catherine Hubbard was born on June 8, 2006.
“She came into the world like a force of wind. I remember going to the hospital and having the nighttime doc say to me, ‘You've got time, good luck. I'm going to be long gone before Catherine's born.’ And he delivered Catherine,” recalled mom Jenny Hubbard. “And he's like, ‘Wow, she’s got red hair!’"
Fiery hair that would end up matching her fierce determination. From the start, Catherine’s birthday party was always a special day.
“She would think for months about what exactly she wanted. She'd always start with an ‘I want an all the animals animal party,’” said mom Jenny Hubbard.
Catherine's mother says she helped her daughter narrow it down to a more specific theme. Catherine’s sixth birthday revolved around horses.
“Such a beautiful memory,” Jenny recalled.
That was the last time Catherine was at her own celebration. The first grader was one of 26 people killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
“Her commitment above all else in this world was for animals. She just wanted animals to know that she was kind and that with her, they'd be safe,” Jenny explained.
It was a promise that propelled Jenny's pain into purpose, creating the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary in her daughter's memory. Every June, the nonprofit holds Catherine's Butterfly Party for its namesake's birthday.
“Twenty years old on June 8. Hard to believe,” Jenny told News 12.
For Jenny, so is the response to the celebration. It's become the state's largest single-day adoption event with 26 rescues and nine animal welfare groups.
Over 12,000 people are expected to attend the free family festival on Saturday, June 6, which is marking its own milestone—the 10th Catherine's Butterfly Party. For that occasion, the sanctuary also launched a national campaign to spread Catherine's compassion beyond the region across the country. It's called “Bring Love Home—From Newtown to Your Town.”
“We've partnered with over 115 different rescues representing every state in this country and have highlighted and spotlighted their work over the past three weeks and are encouraging people, if you can't come to Catherine's Butterfly Party, go to your local rescue and foster, donate, volunteer your time or adopt a pet in Catherine's name,” Jenny said.
Catherine will be gone 14 years in December, but her spirit is still very much alive.
“I don't know how many people are touched because of Catherine. I just know the ones that come back and say, ‘I'm a different person because I've done something at the sanctuary,’ or ‘I've been moved by a program,’ or ‘I now have a pet because of Catherine's Butterfly Party, and they're my bestie. They've helped me get through some horrible times.’ And all those things are Catherine living on,” explained Jenny.
Catherine’s Butterfly Party is from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, at the Fairfield Hills Campus on Primrose Street in Newtown. More than 200 adoptable animals will be there, including dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, horses and more. Conservationists and rehabilitators will hold educational presentations with wildlife, farm animals, amphibians and reptiles. The party will also have food trucks, vendors, face painting, crafts and live music.
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