About 10,000 Butterflies
10,000 Butterflies
by Founder, Bonnie Pond
The 10,000 Butterflies mission is to connect, inspire, and empower people to plant hope and grow change in their communities.
10,000 Butterflies is guided by a simple core belief: that all of us have the power to make our communities better places to live. When we work together to change what needs changing amazing things can happen. What was once just hope can become reality.
Through the ages butterflies have represented hope, beauty, and transformation. I believe there’s a little “butterfly of hope” inside every one of us. What we do matters. Once you accept that there’s a problem in your community, you can no longer turn a blind eye to it. The “butterfly of hope” inside whispers that you have to do something about it.
10,000 Butterflies is an invitation to people of all ages, from all over the country to harness that hope. To create beauty through art, education, and relationships. To transform our neighborhoods into “forests of hope” — places where hatred and divisiveness are replaced with compassion and inclusiveness. Where creativity and innovation turn struggling neighborhoods into thriving communities.
Ordinary people, just like you and me, can be change makers. Kids. Older adults. Teenagers. People living in inner cities and poor rural neighborhoods. It doesn’t matter where you live, how old you are, or how much money you have. You can become a change maker.
Hope and change start with one person deciding to take action. One person — like you.
How do you want to make your community a better place?
Get involved. You can make a difference. Become a change maker.
Together we can achieve more than we can alone.
“Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it and to fight for it.” — Barack Obama
Transformation…
Begins with understanding that every one of us has the power to create positive change. It starts with standing up for what’s right and speaking out for those who have no voice. Living our values, not just giving them lip service. Deciding that “us versus them” thinking hurts everyone.
Beauty…
Celebrates what connects us instead of what divides us. It means that we are stronger by including everyone in the circle, even those who don’t look or believe just like us. Beauty is showing kindness, compassion, and respect for each other.
Hope…
Is working together to solve problems and build stronger communities. Lifting up others as well as ourselves. Hope is taking action to make good things happen. Instead of blaming, shaming, or waiting for someone else to lead the way, hope blossoms when we decide to change what needs changing.
Community…
The 10,000 Butterflies community is your place to connect with others making good things happen in their own neighborhoods. For those who want to get involved in their communities but don’t know how to get started, this is your place to connect with people who can help. Tap into the wisdom of the group. Ask questions. Collaborate. Find answers. Get encouragement to keep moving forward.
It’s your place to be inspired by other change makers — people and groups out there working hard every day to make the world better. Read their stories. Learn from their experiences. Get tips about what’s working and what isn’t.
The practical resources, inspiring articles, and tools you’ll find at 10,000 Butterflies will empower you to become a change maker. They’ll help you identify opportunities and solutions where others see only problems.
Once you accept that there’s a problem in your community, you can no longer turn a blind eye to it. The “butterfly of hope” inside whispers that it’s time to do something about it. 10,000 Butterflies is here to help. Together we can accomplish so much more than we can alone. Let’s get started. Contact us for more info!