Category: Blog

Categories
Blog News Releases Newsroom

Random Acts of Flowers Indianapolis celebrates 50,000 deliveries back where it all began

Random Acts of Flowers Indianapolis
celebrates 50,000 deliveries back where it all began 

A little more than two years ago, the Random Acts of Flowers (RAF) Indianapolis workshop in Broad Ripple was abuzz with activity. The newest branch of the national floral nonprofit was preparing to make its first deliveries. And, in mid-October 2016, the mission of delivering hope got its start in Indy with 75 deliveries to the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital.

That day, RAF Indianapolis expected to reach 12,000 people during its first year in operation, but – through the hard work of staff and the dedication of volunteers (who have contributed more than 16,000 hours) – the branch has far exceeded its goals.

On November 29th, RAF Indianapolis will return to the Eskenazi Health campus to celebrate its 50,000th delivery of hope and encouragement in our community.

Natalie George, an Outreach Patient Assistant at Eskenazi Health, says she always looks forward to RAF delivery days.

“[They] are my favorite day of the month!  RAF brings joy to every person at Eskenazi Health.  Not only do our patients benefit from this wonderful organization, but our staff is also uplifted by seeing and smelling the beautiful floral arrangements.  The volunteers are genuinely excited to deliver flowers and speak to our patients.  We are so fortunate to have Random Acts of Flowers in Indianapolis!”

And, floral delivery recipients in Indy have also reached out many times in the last two years to RAF and know the difference the flowers made to them.

“What a beautiful floral arrangement you made that was delivered to my room following surgery. I cannot tell you how much the flowers brightened my days in the hospital. Do not doubt for a moment what your gift, talent, and time means to someone like me.” – Gary K.

Categories
Blog Newsletters

Indianapolis In Bloom Newsletter – Fall 2018


View this email in your browser

IN BLOOM
Fall 2018

With the focus of Gratitude in the month of November, there is no better time than now to step back and reflect on all of reasons we have to be thankful. Not just on the designated days of National Philanthropy Day on the 15th – Thanksgiving on the 22nd – Giving Tuesday on the 27th when we are reminded to be thankful, but on each and every day in between.

I am grateful that each of you has chosen to support our mission with your time, your talent, and your treasure to work beside us to grow Random Acts of Kindness Indianapolis. We will be delivering our 50,000 moment of kindness during this special month and your continued support has made that possible.

Sincerest Thanks for being part of our vision to create a culture of care and compassion in our Greater Indianapolis community.

I am thankful for you!
Cheryl
Cheryl R. Cooper, CAP®
Executive Director

KINDNESS IS A VERB

Today is World Kindness Day, and it’s no accident that this autumn newsletter (and therefore this note from me) is hitting your inbox today. While I know that – grammatically – kindness is a noun; I also know that kindness is something that we do, not just something that we are.

We can’t expect good things to just happen on their own, we have to make them happen. Random Acts of Flowers could have finished before it began. We could have thought “Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone got flowers when they were hurt or lonely?” and left it there. But, we didn’t. We put our thoughts into action, and we went to work. And now, more than ten years later, we’ve served hundreds of thousands of people and positively impacted many, many lives.

Everyone who has been a part of Random Acts of Flowers’ journey so far has done just that. So, thank you! Because every minute you spend volunteering, every dollar you donate, every person to whom you spread the word of delivering hope – you make kindness a verb. Through your dedication and help, we’ve turned potential kindness into kinetic kindness, and we are building momentum to do so much more in the years to come.

–    Larsen Jay, Random Acts of Flowers CEO and Founder

SUPPORT DELIVERING HOPE WITH A DONATION

Slightly more than two years ago, we made our first deliveries as a branch to one of our first healthcare partners, Eskenazi Health.We are so excited that we will be celebrating our 50,000th delivery at the end of November by paying a visit back where it all began!

The Holidays can be one of the most difficult times
of the year to be in a healthcare facility,
but you can help make our neighbors days merry and bright!

Support Our Holiday Deliveries with a Donation!

360° of Thanks

Sheryl Proctor-Bloom started volunteering in September of 2017, not too long after she retired. She had seen a newspaper article about the branch’s launch and know “this was the spot for me!”

Sheryl calls RAF’s mission a “360 degree concept of gratitude. Not only are we brightening the lives of those in hospitals and nursing homes, we are also providing an opportunity for florists/vendors to salvage and re-purpose flowers. We’re giving SO many volunteers opportunities to give back and also providing donors with a worthwhile outlet for giving. It’s a win-win for everyone We all benefit from giving!” And, she has seen the RAF mission from every angle – start with floral prep before adding pick up from some of our floral partners and then moving on to arranging a little later on.

She does say, however, that her favorite volunteer activity is deliveries, and she has “specifically chosen to sign up for our local Eskanazi hospital that serves the poor and uninsured. It’s the highlight of my month!”

Sheryl particularly likes that RAF’s mission “helps others by brightening their life journey.” She credits her aunt and godmother, Carmen (who passed away four years ago), as the inspiration for her wanting to give back. Carmen was a schoolteacher who had a sign in her classroom that said “We’re all just walking each other home.” 

JOIN KENDRA SCOTT JEWELRY
FOR A HOLIDAY FUNDRAISERSAVE THE DATE!
Kendra Gives Back Party
Monday, November 26th
5:00-8:00pmEnjoy wine, light appetizers, and jewels at Kendra Scott’s Indianapolis Showroom!
8701 KEYSTONE CROSSING BLVD #27b20% of all sales will benefit Random Acts of Flowers Indianapolis.

Deliveries of Hope
50,000+ in Indianapolis
365,000+ Nationwide

Vases Recycled
53,000+ in Indianapolis
386,000+ Nationwide

Volunteer Hours
16,500+ in Indianapolis
176,000+ Nationwide

SUPPORT DELIVERING HOPE WITH A DONATION
UPDATE YOUR NEWSLETTER PROFILE

 

Categories
Blog Newsletters

RAF Indianapolis In Bloom Newsletter – Summer 2018
IN BLOOM NEWSLETTER
Summer 2018
We’re thinking about what a busy summer we’ve had (touching more than 5,250 recipients’ lives since the beginning of June) and how much we have in store for us as the weather cools down. We hope that your summer has been full of giving, fun, and adventure, too!

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to show you some of the amazing things we’ve been able to do over the past few months and to introduce you to a few of the incredible people who make it all possible.And, thank you for your continued support of our mission!

Sincerely,
Cheryl and Lindsay
SUPPORT DELIVERING HOPE WITH A DONATION

CELEBRATING TWO YEARS OF DELIVERING HOPE

SAVE THE DATE!
Friday, October 12th
2:00-5:00pm

Drop in and join us for treats and thanks
as we celebrate our second birthday
and the supporters, donors,
and volunteers who make it all possible!

RAF Indianapolis Workshop
1057 East 54th St. Suite F
Indianapolis, IN 46220

SUMMERTIME AND THE GIVING IS EASY

We have enjoyed a full and busy summer here at RAF Indianapolis!
On top of fulfilling our regular mission of delivering hope, we –

  • were part of the Indianapolis Garden Club‘s annual Garden Walk, featuring 5 fantastic gardens paired with 5 local Plein Air artists. Proceeds benefit several local community projects, including RAF Indianapolis.
  • included in YELP Indy‘s Broad Ripple Block Party, featuring the best and brightest of our neighboring businesses. At the RAF stop, participants made bouquets for delivery and learned more about our mission.
  • honored THE BRIGHTEST WEEK on June 17-23, delivering nearly 1,000 bouquets to recipients affected by Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. These special deliveries were supported by funding from Eli Lilly and Company.
  • hosted days-of-service for several local companies and organizations, including Ashfield Meetings and Events, Cathedral High School’s Service Camp, Crowe Consulting, and Salesforce.
  • traveled to RAF’s National HQ in Knoxville, TN, at the end of July for a few days of leadership training and a celebration honoring the organization’s 10th birthday!
  • hosted another SOLD OUT Flowers After Hours event on August 22nd. Participants created one arrangement to keep and one for delivery. Stay tuned on Facebook for information on our next one!
<!– [if mso]>

HELPING INDIANAPOLIS BLOOM

No one could accuse Pamela Leap of having too much time on her hands! She’s a Master Gardener, and her half-acre yard is filled with various gardens which keep her busy, especially during the warmer months. She volunteers for a hunger relief kitchen once a week and also at the Madeline Elder Greenhouse at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. She travels, has lively gatherings gal pals, loves to read, and has recently taken up sewing again.

And, she is one of the dedicated volunteers right here at RAF Indianapolis. She got involved shortly after our branch opened its doors. After hearing about the mission from a Horticultural Society colleague (oh yeah, she’s involved there, too!), she was “so excited about it that I called to sign up the next week.”

Her excitement stemmed not only from her love of flowers and gardening, but also because she is “a believer in random acts of kindness and paying it forward. Flowers always bring me joy, so I wanted to do my part to make that happen for others. I can’t heal them, but I can help them smile, make their day brighter.”

And, as an RAF volunteer, she knows that the everyone on the team puts their “efforts into that one thing – to make someone smile. If that someone is feeling alone or left out, we let them know they are remembered. If they feel overwhelmed by their particular challenge, we let them know that there are others who wish them well. It helps to be reminded that when we struggle, there are those who want to help. Most of the volunteers at RAF don’t get to meet the folks who receive our lovely bouquets, but I am fortunate to be part of the group who deliver flowers to Riley Hospital for Children and it is so special! The kids are surprised to be given such a grown-up gift, and the parents are always touched and appreciate the gesture.” That extra-special connection with recipients is only one of the things that motivates Pamela to keep coming back to volunteer week after week.

She knows “You can’t leave RAF after refreshing the flowers or making the arrangements in a bad mood – no way! Surrounded by such beauty, the riot of colors, the lively chatter of my fellow volunteers as we work our magic, I always look forward to my time in the workshop.” And, all of us look forward to seeing her, too!

A postscript from Pamela –
If you are reading this newsletter, it means that you also support Random Acts of Flowers, and to that I say –  “Well Done, You! Keep spreading the Love!”

RAF INDIANAPOLIS IN THE WINNER’S CIRCLE

Will Power may have won the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 102nd running of the Indy 500 this year, but we feel like we’re the real champions! After our flower rescue missions at the greatest spectacle of racing and Victory Banquet, we cruised away with enough flowers to make and deliver 200 arrangements!
Deliveries of Hope
45,000+ in Indianapolis
350,000+ Nationwide
Vases Recycled
45,750+ in Indianapolis
366,000+ Nationwide
Volunteer Hours
14,000+ in Indianapolis
166,000+ Nationwide
SUPPORT DELIVERING HOPE WITH A DONATION
UPDATE YOUR NEWSLETTER PROFILE

 

Categories
Blog Knoxville Patron Society

Every Vase has a Place: RAF Knoxville and Knox Area Rescue Ministries

Every Vase has a Place:
RAF Knoxville and Knox Area Rescue Ministries

Every vase has a story. Perhaps, it starts at a florist shop or a gift store or even some warehouse online; but, ideally, that vase finds itself full of flowers and in the home of a grateful recipient. But, after the bouquet’s life ends, what happens to the vase that held them? Maybe it gets stashed under the kitchen sink or in the garage or forgotten in that weird cabinet space above the refrigerator.

At RAF Knoxville, we receive more than 2,000 vases a month from individuals who know that those objects’ stories aren’t finished yet, that they have more to give.

The majority of the vases we receive are re-purposed as part of our mission of delivering hope – refilled with flowers and taken to hospitals and assisted living facilities throughout East Tennessee.

However, some can’t be used for this purpose (usually due to height) and so their journey takes them just a little bit further – to the Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) stores.

KARM’s Evan Crass describes the symbiosis between our two organizations as unique because “RAF turns something that would otherwise be garbage in a landfill into a gift, and – if they can’t use something they receive, they pay it forward to another organization. For us, it’s vases, and – at our stores – those vases get sold to support our mission of providing meals.”

At KARM stores, every $2 spent becomes a meal for an individual facing housing and food scarcity issues in our community. Each month, RAF donates approximately 300 vases to KARM stores, which become dozens of meals for the people that they serve.

And, who knows, one of those vases may start its story all over again once it leave KARM. It could be given – full of flowers – to someone who will donate it back to RAF, and we will donate it to KARM and back again – providing joy, hope, and sustenance to our friends and neighbors.

If you are interested in donating vases at any of our branches, please visit https://randomactsofflowers.org/donate-vases.

Categories
Blog Chicago Patron Society Knoxville Patron Society Newsroom

Random Acts of Flowers Turns 10 years old (WATE, 7.24.2018)

“A Knoxville-based nonprofit has been bringing smiles to hundreds of thousands of people’s faces for 10 years now, and it all started with one bouquet of flowers. Random Acts of Flowers celebrated its 10th birthday Tuesday.

Fran Scheidt has been constructing the floral creations since the very beginning. ‘It was about a third the size of this,’ she said describing their warehouse.

In 10 years Random Acts of Flowers has expanded to Tampa Bay, Chicago and Indianapolis, and they have handed out 340,000 bouquets made from donated flowers, in hospitals, assisted living facilites and hospice care. About 90,000 of those have been in Knoxville where it all began.

‘I like to be around people, but I like what we’re doing,’ Scheidt said.

It has been 10 years of brightening days with beautiful blossoms.”

 

Categories
Blog Chicago Patron Society Knoxville Patron Society Newsroom

Random Acts of Flowers Celebrates 10 Years of Delivering Hope and Encouragement

A decade ago, Random Acts of Flowers (RAF) made its first official delivery. With a strong vision and a simple mission, co-founders Larsen and Adrian Jay started what has become a nationwide phenomenon. Over the past ten years, Random Acts of Flowers has delivered more than 340,000 bouquets of recycled flowers to individuals in hospitals, assisted living facilities, and hospice, and the organization has repurposed more than 356,000 vases, all thanks to the more than 161,000 hours put in by dedicated volunteers. Currently, the RAF mission serves four communities in the US – Knoxville, Tampa Bay, Chicago, and Indianapolis – and has inspired more than two dozen smaller organizations in communities from coast to coast, as well as in the UK.
 
From Sunday, July 22nd through Tuesday, July 24th, Random Acts of Flowers employees from all four branches and the national headquarters will converge on Knoxville for a company retreat focused on making the next ten years of delivering hope even more successful than the last ten have been.
 
Knox County mayor Tim Burchett has proclaimed Tuesday July 24th to be Random Acts of Flowers Day.
 
And, that evening, RAF staff will be joined by board members, donors, volunteers, supporters, and community members for the 10thBirthday Happy Hour party at Clancy’s Tavern in downtown Knoxville.
 
And, for the past month, supporters have been part of the Random Acts of Flowers 10th Anniversary Challenge, participating in a friendly challenge to collectively raise $10,000 in honor of 10 years of delivering hope. The person who raises the most during this one month challenge will receive one bouquet of flowers a month (sent to the person of their choice) for a whole year – compliments of RAF’s friends at The Flower Pot in Knoxville. Further, a generous donor has agreed to match the donations made through the challenge.
 
As challenge participant Tiffany Gardner says, “In our busy lives, it’s easy to forget that there are people in communities everywhere who are experiencing health hardships. In hospitals, hospice, and assisted living facilities, people are in need of a reminder that they haven’t been forgotten and that there are people who care about their well-being. RAF does that every day.”
 
Random Acts of Flowers looks to make more than 110,000 deliveries in 2018 and crest 500,000 deliveries by the end of 2019.
Categories
Blog Knoxville Patron Society Newsroom

Happiness Week (WBIR, 7.12.18)

For Happiness Week, WBIR’s  Rebecca Sweet and Leslie Ackerson visited the RAF Knoxville workshop to learn the ways you can deliver some summer sunshine to folks who need it.

SEE THEIR COVERAGE HERE –

 

Categories
Blog Knoxville Patron Society Newsroom

“He grows them, cuts them, then gives them away” (WBIR, 7.2.2018)

WBIR’s Emily Stroud paid a visit to one of our dear friends and supporters John Benzinger – a retired flower farmer who now puts his green thumb toward delivering hope!

 

Also, check out our full interview with John from last year on our Blog!

Categories
Blog Newsroom

The Brightest Week at RAF Tampa Bay (Bobby Lewis, WTSP, 6.19.19)

“This week, RAF Tampa Bay is going to 800 [deliveries]. They’re more than doubling their efforts, because the problem is so great. More than 5.7 Americans are living with Alzheimer’s right now. Admittedly, they may not remember that the flowers showed up today, but when they notice them on the bedside table, they’ll remember that they’re loved. 800 arrangements to cheer up 800 patients every first time they see them.” – Bobby Lewis


Categories
Blog Newsletters

Check out our Spring 2018 In Bloom E-Newsletter


View this email in your browser

IN BLOOM NEWSLETTER
Spring 2018

Welcome to the brand new Random Acts of Flowers e-newsletter! We’re excited to have the opportunity to keep you up-to-date on goings-on in Indianapolis on a more frequent basis, so that you can see how delivering hope is changing lives bouquet-by-bouquet, person-by-person.

But, don’t worry! We aren’t going to clog up your inbox! We hope that you will stay subscribed so that you can see the power of flowers firsthand!

Thank you for your continued support of our mission!

Sincerely,
Cheryl, Lindsay, Emily, Larsen, and the whole RAF Team

PS. You may have heard about the new General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), that comes into effect May 25, 2018. To help comply with GDPR consent requirements, we need to confirm that you would like to receive content from us. We hope that our content is useful to you. If you’d like to continue hearing from us, please update your subscription settings.

UPDATE YOUR PROFILE
DONATE TO RAF INDIANAPOLIS

 

FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TO OUR HOUSE

Our Spring Fundraising Workshop and Luncheon, held on May 7th and 8th, featured an exclusive guest speaker familiar with creating floral designs of the highest caliber. Laura Dowling, former White House Floral Designer and author the books Floral Diplomacy and A White House Christmas joined excited participants at RAF Indianapolis on Monday afternoon to create the centerpieces for the Tuesday luncheon. During this VIP workshop, Laura shared some of the tips and tricks she learned during her time in the Obama White House.

The next day, a much larger group gathered for a luncheon celebrating Random Acts of Flowers’ success during its first seventeen months in operation in Indianapolis. RAF Founder and CEO Larsen Jay joined in on the festivities, as well!

EAGER TO SPREAD JOY

Volunteers Marilyn and Jim Misner got involved about a year ago after hearing about our newest branch on the local news. The couple loves gardening and flowers and the added bonus of paying that love forward to people in local healthcare facilities really drew them to the mission! They love knowing their work touches lives in the community by raising patients’ spirits during a difficult time.

Both Marilyn and Jim encourage other people to volunteer at RAF because it’s wonderful to share such a worthwhile goal with those who are “eager to spread joy.” When they’re not volunteering, the Misners enjoy spending time with their eight grandchildren, traveling, gardening, and staying active outdoors.

A BLOOMING SUCCESS

On March 26th, we hosted a Flowers After Hours event to a SOLD OUT crowd!

STAY TUNED to FACEBOOK and our website
for details on our next event!

NEWS FROM THE WORKSHOP
  • Concerts for a Cause –  Early this year, RAF Indianapolis was chosen as the recipient organization for the inaugural Indianapolis Concerts for a Cause. “CFAC Founder [Bruce] Kidd explained by designating a small organization as the benefactor, the amount of money an event like CFAC raises can have an immense effect on the persons that these local charities serve.January 27’s Stephen Kellogg concert had 250 people in attendance and donated almost $20,000 to Random Acts of Flowers. Kidd further noted the idea of giving to a single small local charity is consistent with his life philosophy of ‘do all the good you can, for as many people as you can, in all the ways you can, for as long as you can.’”
  • Valentine’s Day Bounty – We had so many flowers from Valentine’s Day, and then ProFlowers called us to donate hundreds more! So, Lindsay drove to pick them up and stopped at healthcare facilities along the way back, delivering hope at every stop she made. She made more than 1,000 deliveries in one afternoon!
    Check out our Facebook to see the whole story!
  • Recycling Event Flowers – Our dedicated volunteers have rescued and repurposed flowers from several local events, delivering hope with something that would have otherwise been thrown away! These events include The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis’s Game On Gala, The Indianapolis American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women Annual Luncheon, and The Indy 500 Victory Circle and Victory Banquet. We are so grateful to these local organizations for including us in their events!

Deliveries of Hope
38,500+ in Indianapolis
323,000+ Nationwide

Vases Recycled
40,500+ in Indianapolis
341,500+ Nationwide

Volunteer Hours
12,000+ in Indianapolis
155,500+ Nationwide

DONATE TO RAF INDIANAPOLIS