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Random Acts of Flowers Delivers Encouragement to Stanford Hospital Patients (Stanford Health Care)

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Random Acts of Flowers Delivers Encouragement
to Stanford Hospital Patients

(StanfordHealthCare.org, 12.6.16)

[/fusion_text][fusion_text]stanfordhealthcareWhen Camille Kennedy enters patient rooms at Stanford Health Care, she is reminded of the isolation she felt when she was admitted to the hospital after an unexpected trip to the Emergency Department.

“When you end up in the hospital, you may find yourself in a place you did not plan to be,” she said. “You think your life is going one way, and it takes a turn.”

These days, Kennedy uses her experience as a patient as motivation to help break through the isolation other patients experience. Kennedy is executive director for Random Acts of Flowers Silicon Valley, an organization that delivers recycled flowers and encouragement to Stanford hospital patients each month, and to patients at hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout the Bay Area.

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Happiness Delivered: Random Acts of Flowers (Towne Post, Broad Ripple)

Happiness Delivered: Random Acts of Flowers
(Towne Post, Broad Ripple)

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Sometimes an idea is so simple in concept, but makes a huge impact. The idea of making people’s lives brighter by hand-delivering flower arrangements is the driving motivation behind Random Acts of Flowers, which opened a location in South Broad Ripple in mid-October.

Random Acts of Flowers is a non-profit organization that recycles used bouquets and delivers them to hospitals and nursing homes across the country. Started in Knoxville, Tenn., in 2008, this simple idea of delivering flowers to people in need has expanded to multiple cities, including Indianapolis.

Lindsay Potter, program manager at the newly opened Indianapolis location at 1057 E 54th St., is excited to bring this spirit of giving to Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Random Acts of Flowers location operates with a small staff, and the majority of help comes from volunteers. Potter said she loves the positive impact the organization has on the volunteers.

“Here’s something you can do that feels good, where you can say to someone, ‘I live in your community and I care about you and I want you to be happy.’”

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Writer & Photographer  /  Stephanie Duncan

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Hoosier Gardener: Nonprofits support gardening, nature, landscapes this holiday season

We all know about Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, but have you heard about Giving Tuesday? This year it’s Nov. 29.

With the holidays coming sooner rather than later, here’s a way to celebrate by giving to nonprofit organizations that support gardening, nature, historical landscapes and flowers:

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Chicago Patron Society Newsroom

Evanston Round Table: Enabling Garden Coming to Dobson Plaza Healthcare

Chris Lambton, host of HGTV’s “Growing Yard,” came to Evanston on Nov. 3 as, one might say, a working guest. Slated to be the keynote speaker at GROW, the fundraiser for Random Acts of Flowers (RAF) that evening, Mr. Lambton met with staff and residents of Dobson Plaza to create a concept design for an enabling garden.

A blue spruce tree, some yews, and a short lawn comprise the little green space at this health-care and rehabilitation residence at 120 Dodge Ave.

Within a few months, that space will be transformed: After listening to the residents, Mr. Lambton came up with plans to beautify the space with flowering shrubs and bulbs and engage the residents through an accessible path to an enabling garden of raised beds.

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Chicago Tribune: TV host, nonprofit volunteer to overhaul Evanston nursing home garden

November 8, 2016 – Lavender, rosemary and raised planter boxes full of vegetables one could tend to from a wheelchair. Hydrangeas. Azaleas.

Those are just some of the elements that landscaper and television personality Chris Lambton, 39, had in mind last week for Dobson Plaza, a nursing home with 100 residents in Evanston.

Along with bringing colors, smells and honeybees to the nursing home’s side yard, “it’s healthy for the residents to be outside, to get their hands dirty and then eat what they grow,” Lambton said.

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Blog Knoxville Patron Society Newsroom

WATE: Knoxville luncheon to benefit Random Acts of Flowers

On October 27, 2016, Random Acts of Flowers’ Founder and CEO Larsen Jay and GROW Special Guest Chris Lambton, star of HGTV’s Going Yard and former contestant on The Bachelorette, appeared on WATE Knoxville to talk about the organization and the GROW 2016 event.

See the Full Interview Here…

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Newsroom

WTSP Tampa Bay: Dunedin group transforms stems into smiles

WTSP 10 News’ Bobby on the Road visited the RAF Tampa Bay branch yesterday and tried his hand at floral arranging.

See the Full Coverage here…

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Knoxville Patron Society Newsroom

WATE: Knoxville’s Jen Sheehan on the GROW 2016 Luncheon

On October 18, 2016, RAF Knoxville’s Executive Director Jen Sheehan appeared on WATE to talk about GROW 2016.

Watch the Full Interview…

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Newsroom

WTHR: Charity recycles donated flowers to hospital patients

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) – No one likes being at the hospital – but one new local organization is doing something to give patients a little happiness.

Random Acts of Flowers opened a branch Thursday in Indianapolis. It’s the charity’s fifth branch nationwide.

The group collects donations of flowers from weddings and other events where arrangements may otherwise be thrown out. Volunteers give the flowers a fresh cut and fresh water, then create new bouquets, which are hand delivered to a healthcare facility in less than 24 hours.

Thursday, about 75 patients at Eskenazi Health received flowers from the group.

See Full Article…

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WBIR: Random Acts of Flowers expands to Indianapolis

“Random Acts of Flowers is spreading cheer through floral bouquets in a new city. The nonprofit is expanding to Indianapolis, and made its first delivery there Thursday morning.

RAF was founded in Knoxville in 2008, and is now operating in five cities across the country. Its mission is to improve the emotional health and wellbeing of individuals in health care and assisted living facilities by delivering bouquets of flowers recycled from weddings, special events and memorials services, as well as unsold florals from grocers and florists.

RAF made its first delivery in Indianapolis to Eskenazi Health hospital where 75 patients received bouquets.”

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