Butterfly Centre Newsletter, June 2025

Butterfly Centre Newsletter, June 2025

Before we share our latest news, a word from our board Chairman, Jami Kastner…

Good morning all our much loved and valued supporters,

I can’t believe that on 20 July it will be 10 years since the Butterfly Centre first opened its doors, in a rented building with only 2 students. We have since had numerous successful graduates whose lives have been significantly impacted and improved by their time with us. Some graduates are now successfully employed in hospitality, farming and even the IT industry! We currently have 19 enrolled students and are continuously working towards growing and helping as many families as possible. The fact that we now have our very own beautiful farm premises, where rental fees are no longer an issue, has certainly helped our vision.

Thank you as always for supporting the work that we do. It remains a challenge, as the cost of giving these children and families the support that they need simply does not add up to the fees that most are able to pay in our rural area. While we are exceptionally proud of the impact The Butterfly Centre is having on students and extended families, the need for continued fundraising remains a reality. Please consider a donation or passing on the information to those who can. We are an NPO and PBO, so are able to provide you or your company with a Section 18a certificate for tax purposes.

Next year my own son Jack will graduate, and I honestly don’t know where we would be today were it not for the incredible care and the precious friendships that the Butterfly Centre has provided over the years.

We are committed to helping other families who find themselves where we did ten long years ago, with no place able to give my child what he so desperately needed.

Please help us to help them.

With so much love and gratitude,
Jami xxxxx

Dear Supporters and friends of The Butterfly Centre,

New start!

In January 2025, The Butterfly Centre welcomed the new Principal, Bronwen Lötter, to the Butterfly Centre Team. She started the year off by brightening up the playground with colourful tyres and ensuring that the learners came back to a bright and clean school. They were enthralled with the Butterfly on the gate and the fun new tyres to play with, as well as using them for gross motor fun activities.

We have had 7 new learners join our family this year so far, and are excited about all the new opportunities to support more families who have children who need additional input to become fabulous adults one day. Many new friendships have been formed, and our staff have been afforded the chance to upskill themselves to work with these precious learners.

Gardening Project

The Butterfly Centre welcomed Angela Pozarycki to the centre for three days. Angela, with her wealth of knowledge of plants and small critters, took the learners on two educational walks on the farm, teaching the medicinal value of plants and encouraging them to pick up interesting stones and know more about searching for small bugs that are helpers in the environment.

She also helped us to prepare and plant our now thriving vegetable garden. The learners have diligently helped with watering the garden and doing the occasional weeding too. This month, we were all treated to a delicious spinach and cheese pie. The learners loved knowing that the spinach came from our own garden.

Sports Day

In April, we had our annual sports day with EduDen. The Grootbos Foundation volunteers organised a wonderful day of laughter, camaraderie and new friendships. We are so grateful that the Grootbos team love our learners so much and catered for all their specific abilities.

Finding Thabo

The Butterfly Centre played host to many local schools, as we were trained to use the Finding Thabo programme. It aims to use visuals to encourage communication, develop language and mathematics skills, as well as to spark conversations about social and emotional issues. Our learners have loved engaging with this programme and have made progress in leaps and bounds in all the above-mentioned areas. Our older learners particularly enjoy having conversations about vocations and family life in an organic way, which we all know is the best way to learn. We are grateful to the Reach Trust for their fantastic product.

Angel Paws

We have teamed up with a wonderful company that trains therapy dogs. They have visited us twice and the learners have loved it! We aim to partner with them in assisting them with helping them train dogs to work with learners who think differently and in turn, their visits help the learners learn how to take dogs for a walk, brush them, as well as the obvious benefits of being loved unconditionally by the dogs.

Big plans!

As Term 2 winds to an end, we are excited to encourage you to watch our website for new additions and resources. As we endeavour to be a hub of helpfulness for all parents, there will be helpful advice pages, video blogs and so much more. Amble over to the Meet the Team section and get to know the Team that is driving new changes and making the next ten years even better than the last.

The Butterfly Centre will be hosting a Makaton Level 1 and 2 workshop in June. We are excited to once again to play host and welcome all interested parents/ carers/ family members to take the opportunity to join us. See our FB page for more information.

In July, we will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Butterfly Centre. Please watch the website for more information, and as always, we hope many of you will be able to participate in the celebrations with us.

We are also in the process of setting up our OT room, so fund raising is our key focus to those of you who regularly support us, a big thank you. If you are interested in donating, please follow this link.

Wishing you a wonderful week further!
The Butterfly Centre Team

And finally, a testimonial from just one of the families whose lives have been impacted:

Good day, Jamie

Delano Janssen has been part of The Butterfly Centre since 2019. From the very beginning, he was welcomed with immense love and compassion by both the teachers and his fellow students.

Before joining The Butterfly Centre, Delano had a difficult time at his previous school, where he was severely bullied due to his ADHD, which was particularly challenging at the time. He was often depressed, in tears, and reluctant to attend school. However, everything changed when he joined The Butterfly Centre. There, he was accepted unconditionally - free from judgment or bullying - and surrounded by an environment filled with understanding, love, and acceptance.

Delano's teachers at the time, Teacher Cindy and Robin, played a crucial role in supporting and guiding him throughout his school years. Thanks to their dedication and care, Delano has grown into the remarkable young man he is today. If it weren’t for the support of the teachers and the leadership of The Butterfly Centre, we truly don’t know where he would be academically or emotionally.

They helped him through every phase of his academic journey, offering patience, encouragement, and unwavering belief in his potential. Today, Delano thrives as a lead technician at one of the top fibre companies in Gansbaai. His role includes a variety of responsibilities in IT and network infrastructure. He is also preparing to compete in his first bodybuilding championship event next year.

Words cannot fully express our gratitude to the owners, teachers, and everyone involved at The Butterfly Centre. Their impact on Delano’s life has been truly transformative, and we are forever thankful.

Warm regards,
Frank and Marinda Janssen

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