Olivia Rose began her journey as a volunteer and community activist raising monarch butterflies at the South End Butterfly Sanctuary, which she co-founded with her mother in 2021. The Sanctuary functions as a Monarch Way Station, which supports monarch populations on their migration path, and also as a green space with a community garden and composting areas.
“My journey basically started with an interest in butterflies, and it led me to realizing some problems within our environment and within society that I myself might have an option to take on,” she said.
Four years after the sanctuary was founded, Rose has contributed as a volunteer to several efforts in Albany and the South End in particular, focused on the environment and combating climate change. This year, she was crowned Miss Teen New York in the Miss Earth USA contest, an international beauty pageant promoting environmental awareness. And on Monday, Albany County honored Rose with a proclamation recognizing her more than 3,000 hours of community service…