Butterfly Effect Project finds permanent home in Jamesport

The Butterfly Effect Project, a local nonprofit that aims to empower young girls, has received a major gift just in time for its 10th birthday: a permanent home for its Riverhead chapter, where the organization first began.

Thanks to the contribution by Craig and Ina Hasday of Laurel, the organization will now be able to operate out of its own location at 1146 Main Rd. in Jamesport — a 1.5-acre lot that previously housed Wild Roots Wellness and the historic Daniel and Henry P. Tuthill Farm.

The Hasdays first approached Butterfly Effect Project founder Tijuana Fulford in the summer to discuss the group’s current needs. When faced with the question of either a building or a monetary donation from the couple, Ms. Fulford visualized what her ideal space would look like for the Butterfly Project, which included a formal room for chapter meetings, office space for staff, a parking lot, an event space and a garden were some of her specific requirements.

“As a BIPOC leader in the community, we don’t have at times — or we don’t feel sometimes, the same support, we don’t have the network or the access to certain things,” Ms. Fulford said. “Once I got excited, then I got scared — do I deserve this, how am I going to make this happen — and things just started lining up: people, organizations, the opportunities became clear and it was really one of those things where it’s [the] time.”

Above all, the location had to remain in Riverhead, as Ms. Fulford said she did not want to lose the “hometown feel” of the organization.

Mr. Hasday had a few locations in mind, but a few weeks later, he met Ms. Fulford at the old Tuthill Farm spot and she said he found exactly what she was looking for. When she saw the sunflower field across the street — her favorite flower — and the butterfly bushes planted along the front of the building, those were both signs from the universe pointing yes to this location for Ms. Fulford.

In September, the Hasdays purchased the $950,000 property and endowed it to The Butterfly Effect Project.

Ms. Fulford founded The Butterfly Effect Project in 2014 and achieved nonprofit status the following year. In its infancy, the group started out holding meetings in the Riverhead Free Library basement with just eight girls living in the Riverhead and Flanders area. Today, the organization has grown to over 20 chapters that serve over 600 girls (and boys) throughout Suffolk County.

Over the last decade, the Butterfly Effect Project has hosted chapter meetings and community events primarily out of the First Baptist Church of Riverhead that focus on foundational skills, such as building confidence, practicing self-care, healthy relationship development and strengthening critical thinking.

“We are so grateful to the First Baptist Church of Riverhead because they opened not only their doors to us, but their hearts,” Ms. Fulford said. “They really allowed us an opportunity to not just have a place to reside, but to grow, to explore, to find out who we are and to find opportunities for ourselves.”

The acquisition of the permanent space will allow for the nonprofit to expand, sustain and organize its mission, as well as hire more staff and establish a dedicated “hub” for the involved kids and their families.

In terms of renovations, Ms. Fulford said she wants to keep the charm of the historic house, but “butterfly” it a bit. The main house will serve as “The Butterfly Headquarters” and hold BEP’s executive offices, board room, welcome center, Butterfly Boutique merchandise, library and community gathering space.

“We really want the community to think of us as a one-stop-shop,” Ms. Fulford said. “This [purchase] allowed us to bring ‘safe space’ from being a concept to being physical.”

In the backyard area stands a large English-style barn, built behind the main house in 1884 — its purpose back then being the potato cellar. Another potato barn from the 1930s is located on the east side of the house and was one of the first semi-underground potato barns in the state.

The idea for the barn is to convert it into a community event space for special events, celebrations, parties, festivals and public gatherings. The underground potato barn would serve as a hangout spot for youths — a teen lounge fittingly called “The Underground.” The rest of the grounds will be a tranquil place for the children to go when they need time to practice mindfulness.

Since work started on the property, Ms. Fulford has invited community members to check out the space and has made herself available for guided tours to answer any questions the neighbors might have. She emphasized the importance of community input in this project, especially when coming up with the best ways to use the property and enhance its functionality.

Phase 1 of the moving-in process has begun with the main house, Ms. Fulford said, which she hopes the staff will fully be able to operate out of by the holiday season — especially for their Thanksgiving Turkey Drive and Adopt a Butterfly gift giving campaign. Ms. Fulford said she aims to start working out of the new headquarters by the beginning of next month and will be handing out candy to the community on Halloween.

The other phases of revamping the barn, the underground potato barn, and the grounds and maintenance center will follow, but all depends on fundraising.

Several community members and families have already generously donated money to the renovation and there are other available opportunities listed on The Butterfly Effect Project’s website for anyone who wants to contribute. Ms. Fulford said anything helps and no donation is too small.

One of the most gratifying things Ms. Fulford has witnessed through this process is seeing all the “butterflies” who started out with the organization as children, went through the program, now work for the program and can grow with Ms. Fulford in this new chapter.

She hopes the new location sets The Butterfly Effect Project up for a successful future and ensures the next leaders can build on the foundation.

“I’m doing everything I need to do for my predecessor to walk in and not have to work as hard and to make sure that the next person that takes over has an opportunity to just dream bigger,” Ms. Fulford said. “I really want to make sure that whatever I leave, the next person can come in and take it to a height I couldn’t imagine.”

Follow along on The Butterfly Effect Project’s journey into its new home at bepgirls.org/ournewhome.