6th annual butterfly festival held to honor Katie Beth Carter

RINGGOLD, Ga. (WDEF) — A butterfly festival was held on Saturday in Ringgold to celebrate the life of Katie Beth Carter and to support local ministries. 

Life was forever changed for the Carter family in 2016 when they lost their daughter in a tragic accident following Labor Day weekend. 

“September 5, 2016, we lost our daughter Katie Beth in a car accident. In the immediate aftermath of that, we really knew that we wanted to make a decision that our pain wouldn’t be wasted. And that we would allow God to somehow bring something beautiful out of our tragedy,” Katie’s mother Amy Carter said.

Knowing that Labor Day weekend would be a difficult time, the Carters wanted to surround themselves with family, friends, and community. 

The Butterfly Festival is held each year to honor Katie Beth Carter and to cherish her life with others. 

“It’s just really a great way, Katie loved family games and activities, and things like that, so we kind of saw this as a great way to honor her and her memory by just inviting families to come out and have fun together and make memories together… And just kind of pass on that legacy of that beautiful things can come after a season of darkness,” Amy said.

Butterflies (specifically yellow) became significant in the days and months after losing Katie Beth as they began showing up at the most unique times and places. 

“We call the yellow butterflies our ‘God winks’ because they did just start appearing a lot to us and friends after Katie’s accident. They just are little whispers from heaven that God’s got us, and in the midst of tragedy He can take something and turn it into something beautiful,” Amy said.

The Butterfly festival brings together the Ringgold community the Saturday of Labor Day weekend with various vendors and activities to raise funds for Live & Love Ministries.

“The butterfly festival kind of became a way for us to raise some funds for Live and Love Ministries and the work that we do. But also, as a way to give back to our community to thank them for the way that they rallied around us and supported us after losing Katie Beth,” Amy said.

The Carters say they’ve seen an outpouring of love and support from their community. 

“Every year we’ve just continued to see the butterfly festival grow, but also just people continuing to remember who Katie was, to support our family, and to believe in what we’re trying to do to try to continue her legacy… but also to try to make the world a little bit better place,” Katie’s father Jason Carter said.

The Carter’s launched Live & Love Ministries in January of 2017 to support bereaved parents and to honor Katie’s spirit.

“Somebody else’s story might not look like ours. Their tragedy, or their loss, or their pain, may look different. It might not be they lost a child or even lost a person. It may be whatever darkness they’re walking through. I think our heart is also to help people see that there is hope, right? There is hope to walk another day. To lean into people who care about you and love you. Know that God really can use your pain in order to impact and change the lives of others. But also, to help you to continue to live well, even through your heartache,” Jason said.

They say that the way Katie lived and loved inspires them to live and love others well. 

“She was just a normal 18-year-old teenage girl who had her own struggles through her short life, but the thing that impacted people about her is that she just lived her life well and she loved people well. I just think if more of us could be like that… She wasn’t perfect by and stretch of the imagination, she was just a normal girl, but she was very intentional about the way she lived and loved. If we could all be like that, I think the world would be a lot better place to live in,” Amy said.

To donate to their ministry, visit liveandloveministries.com.