[fusion_text]
[/fusion_text][youtube id=”eexwprB8zLc” width=”1200″ height=”800″ autoplay=”no” api_params=”” class=””][/youtube]
by Brian Hughes
Who’s your business idol? In entrepreneurship circles, it’s natural to look up to figures like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Richard Branson, three innovators who continually inspire people to dream bigger.
While there’s no denying these three leaders are certainly role models, others may receive less media attention but are inspiring nonetheless. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that some of the most inspiring aren’t in the corporate world at all: They’re leading successful nonprofits.
Nonprofit leaders have a natural entrepreneurial mindset. They have to, because like startup founders, nonprofit leaders aim to solve a problem by providing goods or services.
In the process, they use creative problem-solving and marketing to raise public awareness and financial support for their vision, just the way entrepreneurs strive to secure financing and build public excitement for their product launches. Many nonprofit leaders also supervise a passionate, paid staff while recruiting and training a robust volunteer force. Moreover, these leaders must be creative, open-minded, flexible and nimble — just like, you guessed it, entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurship lesson: Opportunity is everywhere — you just need to think outside the box. In founding Random Acts of Flowers, Jay turned “lemons into lemonade” by finding a creative way to repurpose floral arrangements, bringing joy and vital emotional support to patients when they need it most.
Knoxville News Sentinal – First responders with the Knoxville Fire Department, Knoxville Police Department, American Medical Response, and other were honored by Random Acts of Flowers founder Larsen Jay on Saturday, ten years to the day that Jay was seriously injured in a life changing accident.
Over 100 first responders from the Knoxville area were treated with a free barbeque lunch by Jay and a group of volunteers. According to Captain D. J. Corcoran of the Knoxville Fire Department, this year’s celebration was part of an annual tradition of Jay’s.
“Every year for the last six or seven years, he’s come back and done something for the firefighters and emergency workers. This year is the ten-year anniversary, so it’s kind of milestone.”
KnoxTNToday.com – Larsen Jay bought lunch for the area’s first responders Saturday on the 10th anniversary of his near-fatal accident.
“After 12 surgeries and years of therapy, I live a healthy and productive life with a wonderful family,” Jay said. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than to honor the hard-working people in our safety and health professions.”
Ten years ago today, I fell. I fell from a roof onto the hard concrete below. Ten years ago, the impact of that fall affected my body – breaking numerous bones that, along with my life, had to be painstakingly and patiently put back together. Ten years ago, the impact of that fall was very personal – between me and my body, me and my family, and me and my identity – but the ripple effect of that impact has reached far further than I ever could have imagined.
Because, my time in the University of Tennessee Medical Center – Level 1 Trauma Department ten years ago (read more about that here) and my realization of the role that hope plays in the healing process changed my life. And, by extension, has changed the lives of countless other people in communities across the country.
As I reflect on my accident a decade later, Random Acts of Flowers – the organization founded as a direct response to my experience – is closing in on making 250,000 deliveries of hope and encouragement nationwide. Our five branches continue to impact more lives each month by increasing the number of deliveries, linking up with more healthcare and floral partners, reaching out to volunteers at community organizations, and spreading the word of our mission far beyond their own branch backyards. Further, organizations inspired by Random Acts of Flowers’ simple goal of recycling flowers and delivering hope are serving people in more than two dozen communities outside RAF’s service areas.
This ripple effect cannot be denied.
Random Acts of Flowers deliveries do not only touch the lives of the recipients. We receive testimonials from family members, doctors and nurses, RAF volunteers, and community members about how the RAF mission has touched their lives. Hope is an infinite resource and it can be delivered in myriad forms. For us, the vase and the flowers are the catalyst for making real connections with people and for sharing personal moments of kindness.
I can’t imagine how many people we will have impacted and inspired ten years from now. Half a million? A million? Five million? More? As RAF puts down roots and its branches reach further into each community, the ripple effect will only increase. That’s an impact I am happy to make again and again.
This weekend, I will honor Knoxville’s first responders for their service with a BBQ lunch. Some of these first responders made sure that my accident was not the end of my story, but the beginning of a new chapter; and to them, I am forever grateful.
So today of all days, I encourage you, wherever you are, to remember that each day blooms anew, turns over a new leaf, and is an opportunity to make an impact for the better in your own life and to your community. Get out there, make an impact, and live your life filled with hope.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/324698863″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”200″ iframe=”true” /]
[fusion_text]
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).
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
“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.”
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.
[/fusion_text][fusion_code]PGlmcmFtZSB3aWR0aD0iNjQwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjM2MCIgc3R5bGU9ImJvcmRlci13aWR0aDowIiBzcmM9Imh0dHA6Ly9pbnRlcmFjdGl2ZS50ZWduYS1tZWRpYS5jb20vdmlkZW8vZW1iZWQvZW1iZWQuaHRtbD9pZD0yNjA1NjU1JnR5cGU9dmlkZW8mdGl0bGU9VHJhdW1hIHN1cnZpdm9ycyBzaGFyZSBqb3VybmV5IHRvIHJlY292ZXJ5ICZzaXRlPTUxJnBsYXllcmlkPTY5MTgyNDk5OTY1ODEmZGZwaWQ9MzI4MDUzNTImZGZwcG9zaXRpb249VmlkZW9fcHJlc3RyZWFtX2V4dGVybmFswqdpb249aG9tZSI+PC9pZnJhbWU+[/fusion_code]
Random Acts of Flowers’ journey started with the vision of one man who saw firsthand the healing power of flowers.
Nine years ago today, our founder Larsen Jay had a near-fatal accident that changed his life forever. While repairing a building, he fell off a ladder and suffered massive injuries. He was rushed to the hospital, where he spent several weeks in a Level 1 trauma unit.
While Larsen was in the hospital, he received many flowers and saw their healing effect. As soon as he was able, he began taking his flowers to other patients, and the idea for Random Acts of Flowers was born.
A year after his accident he opened the first branch in Knoxville, Tenn. At that time, he said, “We had no idea what we were doing, but we knew we had to do it.”
Now RAF has five branches nationwide, and we’re looking forward to making our 200,000th delivery in early 2017. Thanks, Larsen, for sharing your vision — and to all the partners, volunteers, employees, donors, sponsors and recipients who’ve helped create a culture of kindness in our communities.