Betty Taylor, a volunteer with McLeod Hospice, was recently honored with a Volunteer Appreciation Award at McLeod Health Dillon by Courtney Sullivan, a Volunteer Coordinator for McLeod Hospice.

Betty, affectionately called the “Butterfly Lady” by the Hospice team, crochets butterflies for patients and families. Her goal each year is to create 1,000 butterflies, and she has been making them for McLeod Hospice for more than 11 years.

Butterflies symbolize the transformation of the soul from body to spirit, much like the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. The Greek word for butterfly means “soul” and one of the symbols of hospice is the butterfly. Betty’s husband of 62 years, Ralph drives her to Florence once a week from Dillon to participate in the St. Anthony’s Catholic Church Prayer Shawl Ministry. This group also makes prayer shawls and lap robes to bring comfort to McLeod Hospice patients and families.