ABOUT RAF

Random Acts of Flowers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity with a simple, yet effective mission: to uplift a person’s spirit and deliver smiles, one bouquet at a time.

Research has shown that a positive attitude quickens healing time and reduces the amount of pain, anxiety and fatigue associated with illness; it is our program’s goal to spread joy and offer comfort through random, thoughtful botanical deliveries.

Random Acts of Flowers recycles and re-purposes wedding, special event, grocery, florist and memorial flowers and delivers them to the neediest in our area hospitals, assisted living facilities and other health care organizations.  Our target recipients are those who have been in the hospital for an extended period of time, have not had visitors, or are just in need of a little cheer.

Our organization has the honor of fulfilling our mission with every bouquet delivered; each and every bouquet is greeted with a smile and continues to uplift the recipient’s spirit long after we have left the room.

HISTORY

Our Founder, Larsen Jay, formed the idea for Random Acts of Flowers while confined to a hospital bed after a major accident.  The outpouring of support that Jay received in the form of daily visitors and dozens of floral arrangements gave him a sense of normalcy that is so easy to forget when confined to a hospital room.

When Larsen was capable of leaving his room he immediately noticed how many of his fellow patients did not have the shows of support that were so instrumental in his own recovery.  Within moments he and his mother performed the first “random act of flowers,” re-purposing his own flowers and delivering them to patients in nearby hospital rooms.  The memories of how touched his fellow patients were compelled Larsen to form Random Act of Flowers.

In July 2008 the founding members formed a Board of Directors and applied for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.  Random Acts of Flowers’ first official delivery took place at the University of Tennessee Medical Center on March 3, 2009, the very location in which the charitable idea was formed.

Since its inception, Random Acts of Flowers has raised community awareness to their mission, formed partnerships with local businesses, and delivered more than 4,500 bouquets to patients in the community’s health care system.  In its second year the organization plans to double its deliveries in an effort to enhance the mental health of our community, one bouquet at a time.