Categories
Newsroom

Kindness in Bloom: A Random Bouquet Makes Patients’ Days (IU Methodist Health Foundation, 1.19.2017)

Kindness in Bloom:
A Random Bouquet Makes Patients’ Days

We spoke with Alison Kothe, executive director of Random Acts of Flowers Indianapolis, and she explained that flowers are gathered, arranged and delivered by volunteers. She says individual hospitals may direct their team to a particular floor or group of rooms, and from there the volunteers are turned loose to deliver a random burst of color and joy.

RAOF - SM-86“I think this is an important service because there is growing evidence that proves flowers can truly help a patient heal,” she says. “There is a direct correlation between emotional wellbeing and physical wellbeing. They feed off one another. The receipt of an unexpected burst of color as well as an unexpected act of kindness from a perfect stranger with a warm and caring smile is a perfect formula for giving someone a spiritual boost.”

READ MORE…

 

(Indiana University Methodist Health Foundation, Indianapolis, 1.19.2017)

Categories
Chicago Patron Society Knoxville Patron Society Newsroom

Success Story: Larsen Jay (Thoughtfulicious, 1.8.2017)

Success Story: Larsen Jay

larsenjay_03“Many have written about Larsen Jay and his now nationally-present charity Random Acts of Flowers. However, as it often happens with success, we only see the tip of the iceberg – the end-result, the success – but are not privy to the rest of the story.

What happens before success is achieved and how does one get to it? I sat down one afternoon and asked Larsen about his paths and passions, understanding more about the man behind so many great production projects and great initiatives benefiting the Knoxville community.”

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW…

(Thoughtfulicious, 1.8.2017)

 

Categories
Newsroom

Modern Luxury Silicon Valley: On the Scene (February 2017)

[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Modern Luxury Silicon Valley: On the Scene
(February 2017)

[/fusion_text][imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”http://digital.modernluxury.com/publication/?i=371630&ver=html5&p=30″ linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/imageframe][/fullwidth]

Categories
Newsroom

100 nursing home residents get flower delivery surprise (WTHR, Indianapolis, 12.23.16)

100 nursing home residents
get flower delivery surprise

screenshot-54Every single resident of an Indianapolis nursing home received a holiday bouquet Friday morning. Volunteers from Random Acts of Flowers delivered the arrangements to residents at the North Capitol Avenue Nursing home – all 100 of them.

Cathy Poole was on her first delivery with the non-profit Friday. “It’s so special to give people things and especially this time of year and surprise them,” she said.

WATCH THE FULL STORY…

(WTHR, Indianapolis, 12.23.16)

Categories
Knoxville Patron Society Newsroom

Random Acts brightens day for seniors (WBIR, Knoxville, 12.23.16)

Random Acts brightens day for seniors

screenshot-53Volunteers with Random Acts of Flowers delivered hundreds of poinsettias to people in the Knoxville area on Friday.

They stopped at four hospitals and three senior centers, delivering 600 poinsettias in all. The tropicals were donated by greenhouses in the area as well as members of the community.

Among their stops: the Sherrill Hills center in West Knoxville.

WATCH THE FULL STORY…

(WBIR, Knoxville, 12.23.16)

Categories
Chicago Patron Society Knoxville Patron Society Newsroom

Echievement Award for RAF Founder and CEO, Larsen Jay (eTown, Boulder, 12.20.16)

Echievement Award for RAF Founder and CEO,
Larsen Jay

LarsenJay19

Every so often, we like to reach out to a past [echievement] award winner, to see what they’ve been up to…Well, lucky us, Larsen happens to be passing through eTown and he joins us now to tell us how things have evolved –

HEAR THE FULL INTERVIEW…

(eTown, Boulder, 12.20.16)

Categories
Newsroom

Rescued flowers brighten days for Indianapolis patients (WTHR, Indianapolis, 12.20.16)

Rescued flowers brighten days
for Indianapolis patients

screenshot-51Most people love a surprise, at least one that makes you smile or feel better. But it’s just as fun when you’re the one making someone else’s day.

“Flowers always lighten up my life. How could they not lighten up the people who get them?” said one volunteer.

“They’re beautiful. Who wouldn’t love a flower?” said another.

See the WHOLE STORY…

 

(WTHR, Indianapolis, 12.20.16)

Categories
Chicago Patron Society Newsroom

Chicago Flower Power (WCIU, Chicago, 12.14.16)

Chicago Flower Power

(WCIU, Chicago, 12.14.16)

[youtube id=”GCjFmm88e7c” width=”800″ height=”475″ autoplay=”no” api_params=”” class=””]

Categories
Newsroom

Bouquets make a difference (Indianapolis, Charitable Advisors, 12.12.16)

Bouquets make a difference

screenshot-47By Lynn Sygiel, editor, Charitable Advisors

At Random Acts of Flowers (RAF), recipients of the arrangements are touched and surprised.

“The calls we get from these recipients, they just make you weep because you know what that arrangement looked like. You know it was not a big extravagant bouquet, it was a tiny little happy, made-with-love arrangement to a stranger,” said Alison Kothe, Indianapolis’ RAF executive director

One Eskenazi Hospital patient called the week after a delivery and left a voicemail saying, “‘They’re making me go to this rehab place way out on 38th Street, but they cannot make me not take my flowers. They may kick me out, but I’m taking my flowers.’ It was so cute, and it was wonderful to think that a week after we made the delivery, her flowers were still well enough to go to the rehab place,” said Kothe.

READ MORE…

(Indianapolis, Charitable Advisors, 12.12.16)

Categories
Newsroom

The healing power of flowers (Indianapolis, Charitable Advisors, 12.12.16)

The healing power of flowers

By Lynn Sygiel, editor, Charitable Advisors

Why Indianapolis? Five years ago, Betty Stilwell, then chief philanthropy officer at IU Health, mentioned the organization to [now-RAF Indianapolis Executive Director, Alison] Kothe. Stilwell said she had been talking with Jay Hicks, president and CEO of Prime Care Properties and Management. After meeting RAF’s founder and joining its national board, he thought Indianapolis was ready to become involved.

screenshot-46“Hicks was really the mover and shaker behind the Random Acts of Flowers in Indianapolis,” Kothe said. Once the commitment was made, things moved quickly. The first seed-money house party was in March of this year, and the new 501(c)3 moved into its space in September and started deliveries the next month.

As of early December, over 1,245 arrangements had been delivered to area hospitals and nursing homes.

READ MORE…

(Charitable Advisors, 12/12/16)