Welcome to The Butterfly Effect Project!

 

In 2014, I saw something in my daughter that stopped me in my tracks. She wasn’t a bully — but she was beginning to treat other children as if they were invisible. She had access to opportunities, support, and resources that I worked hard to give her — the very things I lacked growing up. But in giving her everything I didn’t have, I realized I had forgotten to teach her one thing I always needed: empathy.

 

She was in a program at the time that encouraged leadership and excellence — but only for those who, in their eyes, were already “good candidates.” Children who didn’t have the right clothes, or couldn’t consistently attend, or lacked transportation, were passed over. Not because they didn’t want to be there — but because they couldn’t be there in the same way. And instead of being embraced with compassion and inclusion, they were quietly dismissed.

 

I watched not just my daughter, but an entire group of young girls begin to reflect that mindset — politely, subtly, but powerfully. That realization broke something open in me. The mother in me — and the little girl I once was — knew I had to do more.

 

I started The Butterfly Effect Project to create a space where every child, regardless of their circumstances, would be seen, included, and uplifted. Where leadership didn’t depend on what you had — but who you are. What began as one mother’s mission to shift a mindset now serves over 700 youth across the East End of Long Island — girls and boys — helping them lead, connect, and fly.

 

If you’re here, something is stirring in you too. Let’s help spread some wings — together.

 

Thank you.