08/19/2026
🦋💙 WE DID IT! $5,000! 💙🦋
Our Monarch Migration has officially reached its $5,000 goal! 🎉
We are beyond grateful to every single person, family, and local business who donated, welcomed a butterfly, nominated a destination, shared a post, or simply cheered our butterflies along. Your generosity and support have meant more to us than we can say. 💙
Because of YOU, our butterflies made it all the way to their goal—and our community came together in such a beautiful way to support the mission of the Kelsey Starling Memorial Foundation.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for helping Kelsey's legacy continue to soar. 🦋✨
Now, a special message from our President, Megan Starling:
💙 “I am blown away by the support the Troy community has shown to the Kelsey Foundation these last 45 days.
For those who don’t know the significance of this last month and a half, I’d love to share some details. July 4th, 2026 marked 7 years since we lost Kelsey in a boating accident on Smith Lake. It also marked the start of something new: our monarch migration. It began when my Dad put out two butterfly lawn ornaments in his yard at Lake Martin. From there, the butterflies travelled back with him to Troy, where they would visit house after house, moved by the generosity of so many of our close friends and family. Today, August 18th, marks the end of their journey. What’s the significance of their finish line, though? Today is the 12 year anniversary of when my mom, Jo, passed away. It’s a heavy day for many, but this year in particular hurts all the more. I was 12 when my mom passed away, meaning I have now lived half of my life without her. That reality hurts in all sorts of new ways, but I’ve found joy in knowing these butterflies serve as a reminder of them both.
If you played host to our butterflies at any point over these last 45 days, thank you. If you nominated, liked, reposted, or donated from afar, thank you.
This has healed the hearts of so many people in so many ways, and it certainly has done the same for me. Though the migration has ended, if ever you need a reminder of the hope, perseverance, and love we’ve found through Kelsey and mom’s story, the butterflies will remain at mom and Kelsey’s graveside. All are welcome to pay them a visit.”