St. Thomas More KB Butterfly Annual Visit

The N.C. Children’s Hospital Butterfly Garden has left a lasting impression on UNC Hospitals’ visitors since its inception in 2005.

Derek Baker, son of Pam Baker, Resource Center Navigator and breast cancer survivor, and Mike Baker, was inspired to create a space of respite for our cancer patients and their families on hospital grounds. Derek raised money, researched what was needed, enlisted the help of master gardeners of North Carolina, and lead the revitalization effort.  His fellow scouts in Chapel Hill's Troop 39 of the Boy Scouts of America and his family and friends joined forces to transform the courtyard between N.C. Children's Hospital and N.C. Memorial Hospital into a butterfly oasis.

The garden hosts many visitors throughout the year.  Recent visitors, the kindergarten class, KB Butterflies, of the Saint Thomas More School in Chapel Hill, have made an annual field trip to the garden since the opening in 2005.  The students have lunch in the garden and visit the chapel to pray for those at UNC Hospitals.  Not only do the children, teachers, and chaperones learn about butterflies, but the Resource Center staff provides education on the importance of healthy eating and nutritious snacks, a key component in their community outreach efforts. Derek Baker was also a KB Butterfly in 1994. St. Thomas More School KB Butterflies visited the garden on October 2, 2008.

KB students listen attentively as Ms. Loretta Brady, Touch of Heaven Butterfly Farm in Bennett, NC, teaches them about the life cycle of the butterfly.

The students “plant” their handmade paper butterflies in the garden space.

KB students are very gentle with their special friends.