A new Southern Maryland nonprofit is holding its first-ever fundraiser this fall, aiming to help cover mental health and wellness care for people who can’t afford it on their own.
The Butterfly Effect Project will host the Flutter Fest 5K Wellness Walk and Fun Run on Sunday, Oct. 4, at John V. Baggett Park in Mechanicsville, with participants able to run a timed 5K or walk the paved path at their own pace. All participants receive a Flutter Fest t-shirt, and timed 5K finishers get a medal; teams of four to ten can register at a reduced rate. Coffee, smoothies, and snacks will be available from sponsors Healthy Vibez Nutrition and The Beanery Café. Registration is open at runsignup.com/Race/MD/Mechanicsville/ButterflyEffectProject5k or through the organization’s own website.
The nonprofit was founded earlier this year by Jennifer Voorhaar, a licensed clinical social worker from Charlotte Hall who has spent 25 years working primarily with trauma survivors. “There’s always been services that they don’t have access to because it’s not covered by their insurance or the provider doesn’t bill insurance because of the terrible reimbursement rates,” Voorhaar has said of the gap she built the organization to close. The Butterfly Effect Project partners with local providers to connect people who are uninsured, underinsured, or otherwise facing financial barriers with three to 12 months of mental health treatment, along with related wellness services like nutrition counseling, trauma-informed yoga, grief support, and pelvic floor physical therapy.
The need is well-documented statewide: according to testimony presented to the Maryland General Assembly, one in three Marylanders who need mental health treatment don’t receive it because they can’t afford it. The Flutter Fest 5K is the organization’s first public fundraiser since launching, and money raised will help build toward its goal of awarding its first care scholarships starting next year.
