Tag: florida
As we kick off delivering hope in 2019, we wanted to reflect on some of the highlights of 2018.
Here’s just a small sampling of the milestones and moments that defined our last year here
at Random Acts of Flowers!
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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.
“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
[imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] 
[/imageframe][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=”solid” 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]Many of us will celebrate the longest day of the year – the Summer Solstice on June 21st – 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 say “The Longest Day is all about love. Love for all those affected by Alzheimer’s disease.”
At Random Acts of Flowers, we’re honoring individuals battling Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other memory-related ailments by celebrating The Brightest Week on June 17-23. With financial support from Eli Lilly and Company, we will make 5,000 deliveries to memory care units at hospital and assisted living facilities in Indianapolis, Knoxville, Chicago, and Tampa Bay during this special week.
“Alzheimer’s has its grasp on more than 5 million people in the United States. But that isn’t just a statistic,” said Phyllis Ferrell, vice president, Lilly global Alzheimer’s disease platform. “It’s my dad. It’s my father-in-law. It’s mothers and fathers. Brothers and sisters. Friends and neighbors. And yes, because Alzheimer’s doesn’t discriminate based on age, it’s sometimes our sons and daughters.”
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 –[/fusion_text][two_fifth last=”no” 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=””][separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”30″ bottom_margin=”” sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””][imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] 
[/imageframe][/two_fifth][three_fifth 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]“My elderly father who suffers from Alzheimer’s was recently admitted to UT Medical Center. He was placed on the oncology wing for lack of space elsewhere. Cancer patients 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. 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?” It is amazing how something as small as a basket of flowers can mean so much. Many, many thanks.” – Joanie H.[/fusion_text][/three_fifth][fusion_text]
“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the flower arrangements you brought. 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.” – Marcia E.
And, research has shown that a familiar smell can bring back memories from the past. A study from Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph.D at Rutgers University “finds flowers decrease depression, encourage companionship and enrich short-term memories in seniors.”
Sunny Biden from The Pat Summitt Foundation (an organization in Knoxville, TN, fighting Alzheimer’s disease) says “with Alzheimer’s the first thing to go is, short-term memory, so bringing flowers to someone… there’s 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.”
Flowers have the ability to brighten a person’s room and their spirits; and, through Eli Lilly and Co.’s generous support, Random Act of Flowers will be able to deliver hope, healing, and personal moments of kindness to 5,000 individuals during The Brightest Week.[/fusion_text][/fullwidth]
Cancelled Wedding Flowers Repurposed for Milestone
(WTSP Tampa Bay, 9.20.17)
Saturday, Sept. 9, was supposed to be the perfect day. Justin Murphy and Katherine McKoy planned a sandy-toes wedding on Clearwater Beach for months. Only, the ceremony never happened.
Hurricane Irma crossed over land as an enormous Category 4 storm. It made its way up the east coast of Florida the same weekend that Justin and Katherine were set to tie the knot. Nearly 150 guests were supposed to be in town to witness the ceremony. Justin alerted everyone on Wednesday, Sept. 6, that the wedding would have to be put off due to the nasty weather. Safety was the top priority.
The next morning, the couple went down to the Pinellas County Courthouse in suit and gown. Their marriage was made official, albeit without the beautiful sunset they’d hoped for. Then they remembered the flowers. Nearly $2,000 worth of beautifully arranged bouquets would go to waste because of Hurricane Irma’s timing. The Murphys were determined to find a good home for them.
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO STORY HERE
They settled on donating to Dunedin nonprofit, Random Acts of Flowers. The organization takes gently used flowers and distributes them around the community to places like nursing homes and hospitals in hopes that a few pretty petals may bring a smile to someone who needs them. In all, Justin and Katherine’s flowers were able to generate 170 bouquets for Random Acts of Flowers to hand out.
“We are so glad to see a tough and sad situation turned into a positive one,” Justin wrote in a blog post for the nonprofit.
The donation helped RAF hit a long-awaited milestone. The group was able to finally hit a the 50,000-donated bouquet mark they’d been striving towards for years.
The flowers were donated the next week. On September 18, RAF donated its 50,000th bouquet to residents at Florida Hospital North Pinellas who needed to be evacuated because of Hurricane Irma.
“I couldn’t imagine coming to the 50,000 mark in four short years,” said RAF’s Monica Kok.
“My grandmother is in the hospital and she wanted to thank all of you for the flowers that were given to her out of the kindness of your hearts!” said Julie, a family member of a woman who received flowers. “It really made her happy! All I wanted to see was a smile on her face and she smiled like a ray of sunshine!”
The glorious wedding that Justin and Katherine planned didn’t quite work out according to plan, but the kind gesture to donate their unused flowers brought some joy to a few strangers that may have needed it most. “It was bittersweet,” said Katherine. “I knew it was going to people who would greatly appreciate them but it was still hard to watch them go.
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO STORY HERE
© 2017 WTSP-TV
Random Acts of Flowers Tampa Bay
Celebrates 50,000th Delivery
Random Acts of Flowers celebrated a big milestone this fall! On September 19th, 2017, the Tampa Bay branch of RAF in Dunedin, FL delivered its 50,000th bouquet to a recipient at Florida Hospital of North Pinellas. Longtime volunteer Rick Lawrence was very excited to be a part of this special delivery. “I remember RAF’s first delivery at Mease Manor. Immediately, it was such a blessing. Every recipient is genuinely surprised and excited when we come into their room with a beautiful arrangements. I absolutely love it, and I am so happy to be a part of the 50,000th delivery milestone.”
Random Acts of Flowers began when founder Larsen Jay used a personal experience to inspire a simple yet generous mission. After a near-fatal accident, Jay was amazed by the amount of support and encouragement he received as his hospital room filled with beautiful flowers. He soon realized that several of his fellow patients did not receive visitors or flowers, and it became his personal mission to share the floral encouragement he had received. The bouquets he shared with other patients that fateful day serve as the inspiration behind RAF’s mission to improve the emotional health and well-being of individuals in health care facilities by delivering recycled flowers, encouragement, and personal moments of kindness.
“For more than 3 years, the dedicated team at RAF Tampa Bay have focused on the simplicity of kindness, compassion and the delivery of hope. We find great comfort in knowing that the emotional impact of every recycled bouquet delivered in a healthcare facility has a ripple effect far beyond the recipient. This significant milestone serves as an ongoing testament to the volunteer spirit and the generosity behind all who support the Random Acts of Flowers’ mission,” Jay said.
Since launching in November of 2013, the organization has provided personal moments of hope and kindness to individuals throughout the community.
“We send you these flowers from our hearts”
A Hurricane Irma Wedding Story
Justin Murphy and his new bride, Katherine, had planned a glorious celebration of their love and life together, but Hurricane Irma had other plans for their oceanside wedding day. Read about how the couple’s resilience, love, and generosity touched hundreds of lives in the face of the storm –
Katherine and I started planning for our picture-perfect dream wedding well over a year ago – a sunset celebration on Clearwater Beach, FL on Saturday, September 9th. Just a week prior to our chosen date, we went into the Pinellas County Courthouse and obtained our marriage license. And, well into the week before Hurricane Irma hit, we were still hopeful that mother nature and the storm were going to make a turn in another direction. As the days passed, however, our concerns for the safety of our more than 150 guests from both near and far as well as local venue employees increased. The dangers became real and we started to consider our options to evacuate the Tampa area. On Wednesday, September 6th, our wedding event was officially cancelled. As challenging as that was, we kept our hopes up and our love remained stronger than ever.
Evacuation notifications began to spread, and we learned local government offices would be closed ahead of the storm, too. Thursday morning the 7th came and with heavy, yet strong hearts, we were determined to see our lifelong commitment to each other through. Katherine put on her beautiful wedding dress, did her hair and makeup while I found a suit stashed away in the closet. We met in the living room of our home and shared a few tears as we experienced our true “first look.” Meanwhile, my mother ran out and found a bouquet for Katherine to carry. It was emotional for us all, and yet, so beautiful. With my mother and our son as our witnesses, we were married on the afternoon of Thursday, September 7th. While it was not quite under the beautiful sunset of Clearwater Beach, it was a true testament of the strong love we share today and alwaysl.
Amid our own plans to evacuate the area, we thought about all the beautiful flowers that were prepared for our wedding day. We were not willing to let those flowers – a symbol of what was to be – go to waste. We asked our wedding planner, Barb Oehlerking from Artistry Designs to see how we could donate so many beautiful flowers. We were fortunate enough to find such a great organization and team in Random Acts of Flowers in Tampa. Through the efforts of Monica, Janette, and Barb, we coordinated and donated every flower we had planned to use on our wedding day.
We learned more than 170 bouquets were made and so many lives were touched. We are so glad to see a tough and sad situation turned into a positive one.
“My grandmother is in the hospital and she wanted to thank all of you for the flowers that were given to her out of the kindness of your hearts! It really made her happy! All I wanted to see was a smile on her face and she smiled like a ray of sunshine!” – Julie H., Family of Recipient
Our message to all recipients would be that we send you these flowers from our hearts. We hope they brought a ray of sunshine and hope into your lives. Knowing Random Acts of Flowers was able to step in and repurpose the flowers and bless others brings us both happiness and joy. We sent them to you in love and as a symbol of the love both Katherine and I share together today. We will welcome our son to this world in December, another joy we share together and look forward to. The picture-perfect dream wedding we set out for will occur sometime in 2018.
For now, we focus on getting our lives back together, sharing the moments and memories that surfaced during such a challenging time, and celebrating our special love that will endure for all time.
Sincerely, Justin Murphy
After All, To Love and Be Loved Is Life.
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Meet Some of our Volunteers Across the Nation
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Al and Liz Chase – Chicago
RAF 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=””] 
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Karen Karmolinski – Indianapolis
As 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
Sara 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
Patty 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
For 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]