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This team of rockstar volunteers created more than 200 arrangements to be delivered to patients at Eskenazi Health —one of which was the 50,000th delivery since our launch in Indy!
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Random Acts of Flowers volunteers deliver their 50,000th bouquet of flowers to Ana Ramos, right, and her new daughter, Keilani Pena Ramos, at Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018. The newest branch of the national floral nonprofit has been delivering the flowers to patients to offer hope, encouragement and smiles, for about two years. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar
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Claire Alexander, from left, Joan Perry, and Kathy Bradfield, with Random Acts of Flowers, get ready to deliver their 50,000th bouquet of flowers at Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018. The newest branch of the national floral nonprofit has been delivering the flowers to patients to offer hope, encouragement and smiles, for about two years. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar
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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.
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It is such a simple idea, and yet it has had such a meaningful impact on a quarter million people across the country who are battling injury, illness and the aging process.
Today marks the 250,000th delivery by Random Acts of Flowers, the national nonprofit that improves the emotional health and wellbeing of individuals in healthcare facilities by delivering recycled flowers, encouragement and personal moments of kindness. The special moment is set to take place at Chicago’s Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, with rising pop star and winner of The Voice, Chris Blue, Joining volunteers in delivering the healing bouquets to oncology patients in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“I never imagined how far reaching this would be when we started Random Acts of Flowers,” said founder and CEO Larsen Jay, who was moved to give back after suffering a near-fatal accident and personally experiencing the healing power of flowers during his recovery. (See the RAF story.) “We owe so much to the thousands of volunteers, the community leaders, our partners and our donors who share our vision to nurture a culture of care and compassion.”
Blue is one of those who shares the vision of Random Acts of Flowers, so much so that he is breaking away from working on his first album in New York with mentor Alicia Keys to make the 250,000th delivery.
“It fits with what I want to do with my music and who I want to be in life,” said Blue, who wowed The Voice judges and viewers alike with his incredible voice range and musical versatility. “I want to inspire people, to be the light and glue to bring people together. That’s what Random Acts of Flowers does every day, offering hope and light to those who are suffering and lonely.”
Numerous studies have shown flowers have a positive impact on patient recovery, with those who have flowers or plants in their rooms experiencing shorter hospital stays and reporting less pain, anxiety, and fatigue. Additionally, flowers have been proven to be a positive emotion-inducer, improving mood and long-term episodic memory in elderly patients.
Random Acts of Flowers was launched in 2008 in Jay’s hometown of Knoxville, Tenn. Its mission quickly spread across the country with additional branches opening in Tampa Bay, Chicago, Silicon Valley and Indianapolis, where a small team and thousands of dedicated volunteers work every day to remind some of the most vulnerable members of their communities that they are loved and cared for.
Nationally, Random Acts of Flowers serves more than 650 healthcare facilities, including hospitals, hospices, dialysis centers, chemotherapy infusion centers, senior living facilities, nursing homes and adult day cares. Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, the premier academic referred hospital for northwest Chicago and north Chicagoland, is one of RAF Chicago’s newest healthcare partners. The 638-bed research hospital offers the most advanced care in its Level I trauma center, Cardiovascular, Orthopedic, Advanced Surgery, Oncology and Neuroscience Centers of Excellence.
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.
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.
© 2017 WTSP-TV
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.
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.”
Random Acts of Flowers Knoxville celebrated a big milestone yesterday,
delivering its 75,000th bouquet to a recipient at Parkwest Hospital!
Longtime volunteer liaison, Rita Stroud, was very excited to be a part of this special delivery. “I remember we had 25 bud vases to give out for the first delivery at Parkwest Hospital back in 2009. Immediately, it was such a blessing. Every recipient is genuinely surprised and excited when we come into their room with a beautiful arrangement. I absolutely love it, and I am so happy to be the liaison at Parkwest.”
RAF volunteers Rena McAlister and Andrea Murphy join Stroud each month for the delivery. Mcalister said, “Early in 2009, I read an article about a new volunteer outreach program called Random Acts of Flowers. Little did I know I would receive so much joy, fun, and satisfaction for giving just a few hours of my time each week.” Murphy, a volunteer since November 2010, added, “I want my son to realize it really takes little effort to positively impact someone’s day when you give just a little love and kindness. It just takes small gestures, time, and a desire to leave a lasting impression.”
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 nine years, the dedicated team at Random Acts of Flowers 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.