Author: rafindianapolis

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The Longest Day: Celebrating Lives Well Lived

The Longest Day: Celebrating Lives Well Lived

Today, many of us will celebrate the longest day of the year – the summer solstice – by spending time outside with our friends and family, soaking up the sun, and reveling in the fact that we’ve made it another year around the sun while twilight slowly settles around us.

But, for many, this Longest Day has an even greater meaning. The Alzheimer’s Association of America has adopted the summer solstice as their Longest Day and they say “The Longest Day is all about love. Love for all those affected by Alzheimer’s disease.” It’s a day to celebrate the vibrancy of the lives of those individuals affected by this disease and to give them and their families an opportunity to raise money while participating in activities and hobbies that they’ve always shared.

“My elderly father who suffers from Alzheimer’s was recently admitted to UT Medical Center. We are still here. He was placed on the oncology wing for lack of space elsewhere. Cancer patients who we have hope will beat their disease tend to receive lots of flowers and visitors. Once someone has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a disease we can only hope to manage not cure, friends and even family begin to distance themselves. I had just thought that I should get Pop some flowers myself when a gentle knock came at the door. The sweetest lady came in carrying a bright yellow basket full of carnations, hydrangeas, daffodils and sunflowers. My dad was so excited. He said, “Those flowers brighten up the whole room, don’t they?” They sure do! It is amazing how something as small as a basket of flowers can mean so much. Many, many thanks.” – Joanie H., Knoxville

Here at Random Acts of Flowers, we encounter recipients facing Alzheimer’s disease at the hospitals and assisted living facilities that we visit on a regular basis. For them – and for us – a bouquet delivery is a welcome bright spot in a world that is turned upside down.

Collage of woman receiving flowers and flower bouquet“To all of you at RAF – I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the flower arrangements you brought to Moldaw Residences in Palo Alto. I am especially grateful for the flowers in our Memory Support rooms. My husband has been there since it opened in 2009, and flowers brightened his room until the last petal fell, brightening the days for him, me, and all the caretakers. What pleasure you have given to all of us, and I want you to know how much I appreciate the surprise of RAF.” – Marcia E., Silicon Valley

 

And, research has shown that a familiar smell can bring back memories from the past (see our recent blogpost Tuesdays with Flowers: Making Memories Blossom with Random Acts of Flowers for more on the subject).

Sunny Biden from The Pat Summitt Foundation (an organization fighting Alzheimer’s disease with a comprehensive approach, awarding grants to organizations that provide research to treat, prevent, cure, and ultimately eradicate this disease; education and awareness of Alzheimer’s, its onset and treatment; and support services to patients, their families and caregivers) says that “with Alzheimer’s the first thing to go is, short-term memory, so bringing flowers to someone… there’s always something nostalgic about a flower that reminds someone of a memory. So, if someone gets a certain flower that they loved, it might bring back a childhood memory that they’re more inclined to remember than a short-term memory.”

Every day of the year, Random Acts of Flowers uses flowers to bring renewed hope and new moments of kindness to recipients battling illness, injury, and the aging process. Today, on The Longest Day, we would like to remind you to take a few of these “extra” minutes to spend time with the people you love – do something special with them, for them, or in their honor.

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Knoxville Patron Society Newsroom

“A Jungle of Joy and Happiness”: The Knoxville Mercury Discovers the Roots of RAF

“A Jungle of Joy and Happiness”:
The Knoxville Mercury Discovers the Roots of RAF

Coury Turczyn of The Knoxville Mercury spent a little time with our Founder and CEO Larsen Jay and found out more about the roots of our mission, how we’ve bloomed in Knoxville, and how our branches stretch across the country.

“Random Acts of Flowers may be one of Knoxville’s most well known nonprofits. That’s because its mission makes so much sense that it’s remarkable no one thought to do it before 2008: The national organization takes flowers and bouquets that would otherwise be discarded and redistributes them to patients in hospitals, nursing homes, senior care facilities, and hospices. It provides some emotional well being and encouragement when people need it most.

As it approaches its 250,000th delivery nine years later, we checked in with founder Larsen Jay on how his brainstorm has evolved into a national phenomenon” —

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE…

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Newsroom

RAF Indianapolis Program Manager Lindsay Potter on WIBC’s Caregiver Crossing

RAF Indianapolis Program Manager Lindsay Potter
on WIBC’s Caregiver Crossing

“There’s all kinds of research on how flowers have the power to enhance recover…we use those as a vessel for connection.”

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Blog

Tuesdays with Flowers: Making Memories Blossom with Random Acts of Flowers

Tuesdays with Flowers: Making Memories Blossom
with Random Acts of Flowers


Describing Stephanie Mataya as a caregiver feels like a vast understatement once you get to know her. A full-time speech pathologist, wife, mom, stepmom, and dog/cat/lizard mom, Stephanie spends her time bettering the lives of the people (and animals) who surround her and nurturing a culture of care and compassion in her community. For the past fifteen years, Stephanie has been a speech pathologist at BayCare, one of the largest healthcare systems in Pinellas County, Florida, and during that time, she has become very involved in the Random Acts of Flowers mission both at work and during her free time.

This is her story of the impact delivering hope has had in her life.


I work with the elderly and a lot of our patients are people who come to us from long-term care or assisted living facilities. They are often people who are dealing with dementia for the first time and don’t have family around. That’s an issue we deal with a lot here in Florida. People come down here to retire and then they are alone. 

The flowers that Random Acts of Flowers delivers create an emotional connection, and people – when they’re in the hospital – are overwhelmed. Their families are overwhelmed. It’s such a surreal experience and when flowers are there, you feel like a normal person. We expect to see flowers and trees and grass, and we take them for granted. But, when you’re in a facility, you don’t have the opportunity to go outside and enjoy nature in the same way.

The flowers create that feeling that someone cares about them, and it’s a great way to start a conversation about something other than the care they’re receiving. Everything’s being done to them, this is done for them. As a healthcare provider and a speech pathologist, it opens a lot of doors.

One of my favorite stories about the impact of Random Acts of Flowers is about a patient who had come from a skilled nursing facility. She wasn’t talking to us or interacting; she was shutting down. An RAF delivery came, and the flowers were on her windowsill. I brought the flowers over to her and started talking about them and had her smell them. And, she immediately started talking with me. She said, “I remember getting flowers for my birthday.” This bouquet had roses and was very fragrant and she said, “Roses are my favorite flower.”

That olfactory experience started triggering a lot of memories for her. There’s a lot of research about how the sense of smell can trigger memories and emotions. And, this woman who hadn’t spoken in a long time started speaking about her husband and her kids. From that point, she got more interactive, would eat more, etc. We encouraged her home facility to give her flowers to help her stay more alert and interactive.

Another story I love – We have a long-term care unit and we get our deliveries there every Tuesday. Recently, we had a young woman from Chicago in our care. She had a lot of memory issues, but one thing she could always remember was “on Tuesdays, my flowers come.” We would work on her knowing the date, trying to get her oriented. She was very confused, but we could give her that touchstone – “On Tuesdays, my flowers come.” She’s well on her way to a full recovery and going back home soon. She wants to volunteer at RAF Chicago when she’s feeling better. That’s what I call a full circle!


And, because RAF made deliveries to BayCare, I was able to see the positive effect it had on patients. It encouraged me to become more involved. My family and I have done deliveries, my son’s Boy Scout troop volunteered at the workshop, and my mom has even volunteered with floral prep. The benefit I’ve seen at my workplace made me want to help deliver hope to others. I love RAF, and I love what it does for patients, caregivers, and volunteers.


One more story! My sons are 15 and 17, and we did a delivery a few years ago at an Assisted Living Facility. There was a man there who had dementia, and we were told not to give him any flowers because he would eat them. My sons were upset because it was the man’s birthday the next day, but we couldn’t leave any flowers for him. So, with the facility’s permission, they decided that they wanted to bring him something for his birthday. So, we went back after school the next day with food and punch and spent some time with him for his birthday. Teenage boys are not necessarily known for being that compassionate, but making the connection with this man over the flowers helped their empathy shine through. They were able to think about delivering hope and bringing care and compassion to someone.

I would tell people interested in RAF, “Get involved immediately!” It’s so simple, but it’s so powerful. When you, as a volunteer, do something with your hands – prepping the flowers, making an arrangement, delivering flowers – it gets into your soul. One thing that’s especially great is that the feedback is immediate, and you can see it and feel it in the moment. When you talk about the ripple effect, the caregiver and the volunteer gets to enjoy the glow that the deliveries create.

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Newsroom

Random Acts of Flowers, ProFlowers and Sun Valley Floral Farms Partner to Donate Flowers to Veterans

Random Acts of Flowers, ProFlowers and Sun Valley Floral Farms Partner to Donate Flowers to Veterans

ProFlowers charity partners
will deliver 90,000 bright, beautiful Royal Lilies
in honor of Memorial Day.

SAN DIEGO, May 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — To honor the brave men and women who have served our country, leading online floral gifting brand ProFlowers® (NASDAQ: FTD) and Sun Valley Floral Farms will donate and deliver 90,000 Royal Lilies to charities, veteran’s hospitals and centers around the nation. Random Acts of Flowers, ProFlowers charity partner whose ongoing mission is to create moments of kindness in healthcare facilities, will deliver the beautiful, bright bouquets throughout the third and fourth weeks of May in honor of Military Appreciation Month and Memorial Day.

Lilies represent appreciation, and Sun Valley’s Royal Spring lilies are an exclusive hybrid species of Asiatic-Longiflorum Lilies. Their blooms are bigger than traditional Asiatic Lilies, they have the longest vase life of any lily, and they boast the widest variety of colors including wonderful hues of peach, pink, orange and yellow. ProFlowers, Sun Valley and Random Acts of Flowers wanted to honor hospitalized and disabled military members who have served our country with the fresh flowers.

ProFlowers trucks are transporting the lilies to charity partners in Chicago, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Silicon Valley, Sacramento and Portland. Random Acts of Flowers and ProFlowers employee volunteers will deliver the bouquets to veterans in locations including Hines VA Hospital, Evanston Vet Center, Richard Roudebush Medical Center, the Palo Alto VA and others.

Since 1998, ProFlowers works directly with top-quality growers such as Sun Valley to deliver fresh flowers at a great value right to your recipient’s doorstep. Sun Valley is one of the largest grower/distributors of specialty cut flowers in the United States with farms in Northern and Southern California.

Random Acts of Flowers is ProFlowers main charity partner. To date, ProFlowers has donated more than 38,000 bouquets — 460,000 flowers — to the organization for its ongoing mission.

“At ProFlowers, our mission is to inspire, support and delight people through the gifting of fresh, beautiful flowers, while also doing our part to support the communitiesin which we live and operate,” said ProFlowers General Manager and Senior Vice President Laura Szeliga. “Honoring the lives, courage and legacy of our military is a part of that, and we know how much a simple gesture such as a vase of bright flowers can make a really meaningful impact. It goes a long way.”

“It is through ProFlowers and all of our partners’ continued support that brings our mission of delivering hope alive, day in and day out,” said Random Acts of Flowers National Programs and Strategic Growth Director Kellie Doyle. “We are also especially grateful to Sun Valley for these beautiful lilies. It will bring so many smiles to veterans across the country.”

Sun Valley Floral Farms President Lane DeVries said, “It is an honor to participate in this program and share our flowers with veterans across the United States. The men and women who selflessly serve in our nation’s military deserve our admiration. We are humbled by their service and see this small gesture as a way to say thank you.”

ProFlowers offers deep discounts to men and women in uniform at www.proflowers.com/militarydiscount. Visit ProFlowers.com for super-premium quality flowers for any kind of occasion including birthdays, anniversaries and “just because.”

About FTD Companies, Inc.
FTD Companies, Inc. is a premier floral and gifting company. Through our diversified family of brands, we provide floral, specialty foods, gifts and related products to consumers primarily in the United States and the United Kingdom. We also provide floral products and services to retail florists and other retail locations throughout these same geographies. FTD has been delivering flowers since 1910 and the highly-recognized FTD® and Interflora® brands are supported by the iconic Mercury Man logo®, which is displayed in nearly 35,000 floral shops in over 125 countries. In addition to FTD and Interflora, our diversified portfolio of brands includes the following trademarks: ProFlowers®, ProPlants®, Shari’s Berries®, Personal Creations®, RedEnvelope®, Flying Flowers®, Flowers Direct™, Ink Cards™, Postagram™ and Gifts.com™. FTD Companies, Inc. is headquartered in Downers Grove, Ill. For more information, please visit www.ftdcompanies.com.

SOURCE FTD Companies, Inc.

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Spring 2017 Newsletter

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Spring 2017 Newsletter

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Blog Knoxville Patron Society

“Sometimes, people need a friend to talk to more than anything else”: RAF Founder Larsen Jay and the UT Trauma Survivors Network

Photo by Nadine Priestley Photography.

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“Sometimes, people need a friend to talk to more than anything else.” 

Larsen Jay, Random Acts of Flowers founder and trauma survivor, knows the value of a listening ear and shoulder to lean on more than most, and this has motivated him to be one of the founders and an active member of the University of Tennessee’s Trauma Survivors Network (TSN).

Photo by Nadine Priestley Photography.

The TSN was created at the University of Tennessee in January 2016 out of the American Trauma Society under the umbrella of the Trauma Advisory Council. The purpose of the Advisory Council is to bring together patients, family members, doctors, and administrators to encourage the hospital to think more from the patients’ and caregivers’ perspectives, as well as also to form the peer-to-peer TSN  program for patients who have sustained life-altering events, like a car accident or a fall from a height, connecting them with people who have shared a similar experience.

 

Therese Zaltash, coordinator for the TSN, breaks down why the program is so important to patients and caregivers

Therese Zaltash

“The medical aspect of their care is so precise and is down to minutia in regards to specific treatments and methodology, but what we’ve learned over time is that the patient sustains such anxiety and stress from the unknown. What does this injury mean? They might not have ever been in the hospital before. They may be separated from their family due to distance or insurance reasons. And, our support program has people come in for these patients.

We try to provide information to decrease anxiety. We believe information and education is power throughout the journey. We get in as quickly as we can, try to meet them as soon after admission as possible, when they’re in the critical care unit. We tell them about the resources that are available to them, so they can know what they have access to.

Trauma has multiple disciplines looking over your care – orthopedics, neurology, geriatric, pharmacology, etc. – and it can be overwhelming. Oftentimes, these people’s lives are going to be forever changed. We do a great job of putting them back together physically, but the emotional component is a challenge and it’s going to be a long road to follow. The meat and potatoes of our organization are the peer mentors, which is where Larsen comes in.”

What we get to do is go in and say ‘You have survived, you are here, and now what can we do to help you understand what the next steps will look like.’

Larsen Jay soon after his 2007 accident.

As a former trauma patient himself, Larsen knows how difficult the process can be. “The thing I always remember is that their whole world is upside down and they have no idea what the new normal is going to be like. They might be worrying about the logistical things about their life, ‘Did I feed my pet?’ But it’s also, ‘How am I going to put my life back together?’ It’s totally disorienting and exhausting from minute one on. And, so what we get to do is go in and say ‘You have survived, you are here, and now what can we do to help you understand what the next steps will look like.’” One thing that Larsen does to show patients that he understands is to bring in pictures from his own accident which he says “breaks down the barriers to help them see that there’s life after trauma.

Larsen describes the peer-to-peer network as “we’re a third therapist, a third friend, and a third ‘take a breath, it’s going to be okay,’ perspective. It gives the current patient an outlet to someone who isn’t a doctor, nurse, or administrator, but someone who’s been where they’ve been. A real community connector. About 40% of the people who come through the trauma center aren’t from Knoxville. They’re from all over the region, and could be 6-8 hours from home. So, we’re patient advocates but also ambassadors for our Knoxville community.”

Besides being a good listener, added support, and community ambassadors, the TSN peers can also help patients with the logistics of being in the trauma center – how to ask questions, smooth the process, and advocate for yourself. That you have the right as a patient to stay in control of your treatment. Therese recalls how valuable RAF Co-founder (and Larsen’s wife) Adrian’s presence was during his time in the trauma center. “When he came, he was blessed in that he and his wife Adrian work so well together. She was at his bedside from the very beginning and took notes on every single thing that transpired – medications, staff changes, questions to ask. Oftentimes, patients don’t feel that they have a voice to ask those questions, but they did. They asked those questions.” Adrian now serves as a peer mentor for caregivers in the TSN.

In the end, Larsen says “The thing that motivates me the most is the fact that I’m alive and I can help the next person. I didn’t have that when I went through, so I recognize the value of it. It’s our duty to help the person who is going through what we went through, because we wish we had it.”

On Thursday, May 18th, Larsen will speak on the role of the peer visitor at the First Annual Trauma Survivor Network Survivor Celebration. This event will recognize the success and healing process of all the UT Trauma Center’s 2016 patients, as well as recognize the medical staff and volunteers who worked with them.

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Appreciating our Volunteers Across the Country

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Meet Some of our Volunteers Across the Nation

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Al and Liz Chase – Chicago

Al and Liz ChaseRAF Chicago volunteers, Al and Liz Chase, have a very simple reason for their more than a year of involvement in our mission of delivering hope. “We like flowers; almost everybody likes flowers. Delivering them is such a loving act. The hippies bringing love to the world in the 1960s and 70s were called flower children, and one of their mottoes was flower power. We are the flower children of 2017.”

For this married couple, it’s all about the love, and they believe that love is the most important aspect of the RAF mission. “Make people feel worthy and loved because their lives mean something. Often, we walk into rooms with no sign of love or hope. Bringing light into these lives is what is important. Thanking veterans for their service and bringing comfort to old or sick people.” They know that delivering hope can not only brighten someone’s day, but can brighten their whole outlook on life.

The Chases are also rightfully proud of their very successful vase drives. Al reports that, “Liz has done the organizing of a local vase drive that collected several hundred vases in 2016. We have a collection bin in front of our house and at the yoga studio. A walk around our neighborhood, dropping letters in mailboxes on a couple of blocks, resulted in 30 to 50 vases being dropped off over the next several days.”[/fusion_text][/one_full][imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”center” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/imageframe][one_full last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Karen Karmolinski – Indianapolis

indyvolAs RAF Indianapolis prepared to open its doors last October, it welcomed a group of enthusiastic new volunteers, including Karen Karmolinski. She became one of the branches first volunteers, inspired by the simplicity of the mission and filled with the desire to pay it forward to her community.

Karen believes that “the mission of delivering hope is a small but important step in healing the body and soul. This random act of care and kindness lets people know that there are others out there who love them.” For her, just knowing that the work we do will touch the hearts of others motivates her to stay involved with Random Acts of Flowers.

And, she knows the healing power of flowers firsthand. Her daughter-in-law has spent three years battling stage 4 melanoma, resulting in many hospital stays. This experience has inspired her to try to bring light to families in similarly tough situations through her volunteer work.

When she’s not delivering hope and encouragement with with Random Acts of Flowers Indianapolis, Karen enjoys spending time with family and friends, gardening, reading, and helping others in our community.[/fusion_text][/one_full][imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”center” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/imageframe][one_full last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Sara Clapp – Knoxville

Spring 2017 - Knoxville - InsideSara Clapp is a brand-new volunteer at the Knoxville branch. Her first day in the workshop was less than a month ago, but she already loves working on helping make the mission of delivering hope run.

Her experience with the mission has a much longer history, however. “My late husband was diagnosed with leukemia (CML) in November of 2014, and was the receipient of a poinsettia on Christmas Eve.” Two years later, he received a second delivery just before he passed away. Sara’s first-hand connection makes her volunteerism all the more heartfelt. “We appreciated the flowers he was given and I thought this was something I would enjoy.”

Her grown children embrace and encourage Sara’s participation at the Random Acts of Flowers workshop, and she’s already become a familiar smiling face to other volunteers, Knoxville staff, and the staff at the National Headquarters. RAF CMO and COO, Cindy McConkey Cox had the chance to chat with Sara on her first day volunteering and says, “Sara has a light about her that you just want to share. She came into the Knoxville branch mission-focused and ready to make a difference in people’s lives. We are lucky to have volunteers like her.”

When not at the RAF workshop, Sara enjoys walking with her Silver Sneakers class and reading.[/fusion_text][/one_full][imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”center” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/imageframe][one_full last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Patty Peasley – Silicon Valley

2017 - GotPrint -SV Newsletter - Outside - FINALPatty Peasley’s interest in the healing power of flowers began at an early age when her mother’s green thumb inspired her. “I was always surrounded by gorgeous flowers in the garden. As a youngster, I was encouraged to make May baskets and deliver them to neighbors.” Today, her husband of 51 years encourages her work with RAF. “He sees the joy it brings me.”

A volunteer since April 2015, Patty loves that “RAF gives volunteers the opportunity to share in the celebration of life by delivering flowers to others who are often isolated from the real pleasures, including social contact and nature.”

While she has made many memories during her time as a volunteer, one delivery stands out to her. “I recall an elderly man who was so gracious…He asked that each flower be identified and then wanted to know more about RAF. He stated that he had never received flowers of his own and was so delighted that someone thought of him.”

Patty’s advice to potential volunteers is to “follow the passion in your life and put your energy into it. RAF has afforded me that opportunity, and I recommend it to anyone. You walk away feeling that you are the one who has received a gift.”[/fusion_text][/one_full][imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”center” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/imageframe][one_full last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Shari Schwartz – Tampa Bay

Spring 2017 - Tampa Bay - OutsideFor Shari Schwartz, the perpetual spring and summer weather in Tampa Bay is what put her in the right place at the right time to become an RAF volunteer. Soon after the branch opened in late 2013, snowbird Shari saw a newspaper article that inspired her to put her experience as a floral arranger to good use; and, with the encouragement and support of her husband, she became a dedicated volunteer during the months that they spend in Florida.

Three years and dozens of deliveries later, Shari still finds joy in arranging flowers and delivering hope in Tampa Bay. To her, the most important thing that Random Acts of Flowers does is bring smiles to the faces of people who are in a tough moment in their lives, and those smiles are what motivate her to stay involved.

She and her husband deliver bouquets to the VA hospital once a month, and she considers it an honor to give back to the veterans, thanking them for their service. When not volunteering at Random Acts of Flowers, Shari enjoys cooking, reading, and – of course – enjoying the beautiful Florida weather.[/fusion_text][/one_full][/fullwidth]

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Blog

Celebrating 200,000 Deliveries Nationwide!

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Celebrating 200,000 Deliveries Nationwide!

Today, we’re celebrating an incredible milestone. At our five branches across the country, we have made 200,000 deliveries of hope and encouragement!

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 And, of course, we couldn’t have reached this momentous number without the help of our dedicated volunteers. Thank you for giving us a portion of your time to make a difference.

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Video by zefrank1.

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Thank you to Jelly Belly for helping us celebrate this milestone with our volunteers.

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“Drown Your Sorrows in Good Deeds” – How loss turned to hope with Random Acts of Flowers

“Drown Your Sorrows in Good Deeds”
How loss turned to hope with Random Acts of Flowers 

thumbnail_Charlie 2When Theresa Heller’s young son Charlie passed away in a tragic accident during the summer of 2015, she felt understandably at sea. He had been a vibrant boy and a source of love and laughter for his mother, family, classmates and community. “He was so full of life,” she says, “and the world was his oyster.” Charlie was known around their neighborhood as “Charlie the Merchant,” and he loved to sell (or simply give away) games, lemonade and toys from his table or wheelbarrow.

In honor of the vibrancy and generosity of her son’s life, Theresa decided to establish Flowers from Charlie the Merchant, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity (#5402085). She tells us that delivering flower bouquets in her community helps her keep the joy of his life alive and is the only thing that makes her feel better.

Theresa first discovered RAF in Readers’ Digest, but the seed of the idea for Charlie the Merchant came from young Charlie himself. Theresa had a job merchandising flowers at local stores, and sometimes, Charlie would come along. They noticed how many perfectly good flowers were going to waste because they were out of date or had one bad flower in the bunch. Charlie lamented the waste and wished the bouquets could be donated for people in their community.

After his passing, Theresa decided to put this idea into action. With advice from RAF and flowers from her family’s gardens, Flowers from Charlie the Merchant gave away over 1,000 bouquets in its first year of operation. These were delivered to residents of Kalamazoo County, including those at hospice, hospital, and nursing homes, as well as the VFW (baby potted plants), and many others.

The local Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 98 donated the initial money to get the nonprofit charity status and launch Flowers from Charlie the Merchant.  Portage Printing donated business cards to the cause, and Sign Crafters of Parchment donated a large magnet sign for the side of Theresa’s vehicle. In recent months, Charlie the Merchant has talked with Meals on Wheels through Senior Services of Kalamazoo, and is hoping to be able to reach the capacity to do this soon.

“I don’t have to sit and wonder ‘Now what? Who am I’? I’ve established this,
and it’s my future. The need is there.”

Charlie the MerchantTheresa also hopes to use this as a way to show Charlie’s cousins, friends and classmates about grief, and that “It’s helped them too, I think. They can see that you don’t have to be shattered forever. You can still do something. Life goes on and you can try to make the best of it.”

Charlie the Merchant has brought healing and meaning into her life.  She says, “I don’t have to sit and wonder ‘Now what? Who am I’? I’ve established this, and it’s my future. The need is there.”

In 2017, Theresa would love to continue to grow the reach of Charlie the Merchant. She asks that if anyone in the Kalamazoo area would be interesting in donating money or flowers, or volunteering to deliver boxes of bouquets, they visit the Charlie the Merchant website or email Theresa directly.