This week we hosted our second workshop to fulfill a generous grant from the Knoxville Garden Club. The first workshop was with a Girl Scout troop, that blog entry can be found here (or by scrolling down). Our second workshop was with the residents at Shannondale Assisted Living.
Sixteen residents gathered in the Activities Room where Random Acts of Flowers provided all the materials – flowers, vases, scissors, and helpful volunteers – for them to arrange bouquets of flowers. The joy in the room was almost palpable! It took a moment for everyone to get comfortable, many comments were heard along the lines that they didn’t know what to add next. But once the residents’ began to feel more comfortable they were smiling and chatting about the task at hand. Upon completing their bouquets many of the residents sat turning them around and around with big, proud smiles on their faces. A few even made additional bouquets that they could deliver to their friends at the facility.
A good time was certainly had by all, from staff (RAF and Shannondale), to volunteers, to residents, everyone left with a big smile and an extra pep in their step! What an exciting program for Random Acts of Flowers to add to our repertoire! A very big thank you to the members of the Knoxville Garden Club for helping us to deliver smiles in this hands-on way.
Here are a few sample photos but if you want to see them all check out our album on Photobucket by following this link.
Sometimes we here at Random Acts of Flowers step outside of our mission. As we continue to grow there are so many possibilities for facilities that we can deliver to, there are always people in the healthcare system in need of cheer. We have to closely watch where and how we expand always asking ourselves if the new facility fits within our mission. However, sometimes an opportunity to make a difference crosses our path and we cannot help but reach outside of our mission. Like the time we provided wedding flowers for a young woman who would die of cancer within 24 hours of her wedding. Follow this link to see that story.
The following is also one of those situations.
I received a call from Terri, one of our volunteers. She told me that she also volunteers at a battered women’s shelter and was wondering if we could provide bouquets for the women on Valentine’s Day. My first response was that we wouldn’t be able to, it was outside of our mission and would be taking away from our hospital delivery planned for that day. However, in the end I couldn’t help but call Terri back. The chance to make a difference for these brave women was too good of an opportunity to pass up. So we sent 12 bouquets to the facility to help remind these women that they are special, that their courage is appreciated by others in their community. What an exciting way to spread our word, by helping to put a smile on the face of a woman who has had the courage to change her life for the better.
Shortly thereafter we received this email from Ashley N, a staff member of the facility:
Your organization just donated twelve flower arrangements to the [our facility] for Valentines Day. I just wanted to personally thank you for the donation. Words can not describe how amazing this gift is. The women were so surprised, one almost cried because she was so happy. There also was a woman who said “who needs a man now this shows we are loved” which is so amazing because Valentines Day is usually a tough day for domestic violence victims. So again thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!!!
You are very welcome Ashley! We hope that the memory of our delivery will help these brave ladies make it over their next tough hurdle. :-)
Like the ripple caused by a stone thrown into water our mission affects the mood of everyone in a recipient facility.
We often speak about how our mission affects healthcare residents in our community. What we don’t often share is how the staff of our recipient facilities are affected by our deliveries. The mood of the residents at a facility strongly affects the mood of the staff. Just imagine… if all the residents are in a bad mood, they are going to be contrary and difficult with the staff. If the residents are happy and excited they are going to transfer these positive feeling onto the staff members with whom they interact.
Enter Random Acts of Flowers. Who wouldn’t be in a good mood after receiving a big, beautiful bouquet of flowers from a stranger, someone who just wants to make sure that they have a reason to smile that day?! When our volunteers deliver to a healthcare community they brighten the day for not only recipients but for the nursing staff, the cleaning staff, the meal staff, the activities staff, and anyone who comes into contact with the lovely bouquet and the recipient of said bouquet. The mood of the entire community is uplifted after a visit from Random Acts of Flowers.
As evidence of this ripple the testimonials that we receive are quite often from the staff members of a facility. They often read very much like this one from Sunny.
Thank you! Our residents love Random Acts of Flowers! I work in an assisted living community and it was amazing to see the difference a simple act of kindness could make in someones day. Our residents really appreciated the fact that someone took time out of their day to come say a friendly hello and deliver flowers to them. Thank you so much for blessing our community in this way.
We are, as always, very happy to hear from communities to which we deliver. We also received three handwritten thank yous from this delivery!
Keeping in mind the ripple effect I invite you to start your own ripple within your community. Smile at someone on the street… they are likely to smile at the next person they see. Compliment someone who looks nice… they are likely to spread the joy of your compliment to others. Drop an extra quarter into an expired parking meter… you will make someone’s day!
Today I received a very sweet phone call. Mrs Badgett called to inquire about our mailing address so that she could send a check from her family. When I asked her how she had heard of us my heart swelled with pride for our mission.
Picture this, a woman living in a nursing home receives a bouquet of flowers from Random Acts of Flowers. She is so excited that she calls all her family and friends to tell them about the beautiful bouquet she was given. Upon the event of her passing the family remembers how much our mission touched her life. When a family friend asks what she can do in lieu of flowers the family requests that she make a donation to Random Acts of Flowers in their loved one’s honor. So Mrs. Badgett called us to inquire about making a donation in memory of her family friend who had previously received a bouquet from our organization.
In the early days of Random Acts of Flowers we discussed the possibility of Memorial Donations, ones given in memory of a former recipient. A donation given as a product of our mission. We have received Memorial Donations prior to this but always from donors who were already supporters of our mission. We are just shy of our three year anniversary and today marks the first Memorial Donation from someone unfamiliar with our mission as a direct result of the joy felt by a recipient!! Oh happy day 
We have received such wonderful support from the community over the last three years! Whether from financial donors, floral donors, or volunteers. Our mission would not be possible without the support of our community. This story reflects just one facet of our many donors and a milestone for our organization!
This story is from a volunteer who recently went on his first delivery. I think most of our volunteers remember fondly their first delivery, it is during this delivery that they really “get” it. There are many volunteer tasks within our organization that lead up to that heartwarming moment but it is important that each volunteer experience that moment so they can remember why they do whatever task it is that they do.
I’ve done work for several great community activities in the past and this definately ranks at the top of the list. We delivered flowers to Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville, TN. It was amazing to see the smiles on the faces of the patients we spoke to. I hope to have the opportunity to do this again soon. It was truly a heartwarming experience. – Jack
Thanks so much for sharing your story Jack!
In celebration of Veteran’s Day 2011 Random Acts of Flowers made two local deliveries. We left 10 bouquets with UT Hospice to be delivered to the homes of their Veteran patients. We also delivered 26 bouquets to Ben Atchley State Veteran’s Home where they were distributed on the dining room tables for all to enjoy.
One of the things that we do not lack for around here are heartwarming stories. This one certainly fits the bill! What makes this story special is that Patti knew to thank everyone and everything that went into her delivery. For her bouquet to be delivered there had to be a floral donor, a vase donor, a volunteer to arrange the flowers, volunteers to transport both the donated flowers and the arranged bouquets, and a volunteer to walk that bouquet into the room of an unsuspecting stranger to brighten their day. There are MANY hands involved in each and every bouquet delivered. Thank you for recognizing that Patti!
I have been in the hospital 2 months and feeling sad and depressed then suddenly someone came in with a BEAUTIFUL flower arrangement, I told them they must have the wrong room it could not be for me BUT it had my name on it. I smiled, cried, and called everyone I knew to describe the wonderful gift sent to me. To everyone who donated a rose, vase, time, and energy thank you from the bottom of my heart, you are a blessed group. patti @ st. marys
Thank you to all of our volunteers, to our floral and vase donors, and the hospitals and healthcare facilities that allow us to deliver. Thank you to our donors who help us pay the bills. Thank you to our corporate sponsors and grant makers. Thank you to our Board of Directors who donate their time to help maintain and grow our mission. Thank you to each and everyone who is involved on SO many different levels in making this organization possible! And finally, thank you to Patti for taking the time to Share Your Story. :-)
Some Share Your Story emails really touch the heartstrings. This is definitely one of those!
I am a 24-year-old Cystic Fibrosis patient on the list for a double-lung transplant. I am currently in the hospital for an exacerbation, and today I got a little knock on my hospital door. On the other side was a lovely woman who delivered me such a beautiful, surprise bouquet of flowers. It was so wonderful, and so very unexpected. The thoughtful gift was a ray of sunshine in my day. I hope someday, once I am healthy and with new lungs, to volunteer for this marvelous organization. It is fantastic, and what it does brightens the lives of so many beautiful souls. Thank you for making my day.
Peace and love.
Rosie
Thank you for writing Rosie! We are SO happy and excited to hear that we made such a great impression on your day. AND we would LOVE to have you in as a volunteer, follow this link to fill out that application.
The flowers that we delivered to Rosie were one of 45 bouquets delivered that day! We may only hear from one recipient for every 100 bouquets that we deliver but we can only hope that EVERY recipient is so strongly affected by our mission.
We received a thank you card today from one of our facilities and this is what it said:
Thank you so much for the beautiful flowers that you bring to our facility. It brightens up not only our facility environment, but our residents’ and staffs’ day! Thank you so much for thinking of Northhaven Health Care! -Trudy Durham (Executive Director) and the residents and staff.
We love visiting their beautiful facility and really appreciate the acknowledgment. :-)
 Faye, our 5000th recipient was full of smiles and hugs for all!
 Many residents are just as happy to have someone to talk to for a few minutes.
Flowers are such a simple pleasure. Joyce was certainly happy to receive her bouquet!
Herb was such a sweetie! Never believe that men don't like flowers.
Thank you to TVA employees for volunteering with Random Acts of Flowers as part of their Day of Caring.
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5000 Bouquets Delivered!
Random Acts of Flowers started making deliveries on March 3, 2009. On October 28, 2010 we delivered our 5000th bouquet! That was our 5000th shared smile, 5000th moment of joy, 5000th instance of shared compassion between a volunteer and a patient.
How very far we have come in less than two years! We started on January 1, 2009 with little more than a concept. In the first three months we formed partnerships with four area hospitals, created a plan for one delivery of 15 bouquets per week, and began looking for volunteers to help make those deliveries possible. Today we have partnerships with 6 area hospitals, more than 25 area nursing home & assisted living facilities, and 3 area hospices. We now make two deliveries per week for an average of 60 bouquets delivered each week. We have also been fortunate to receive an outpouring of support from our community in the form of volunteer hours. Every part of our mission, from pick-up, to arranging, to delivery, is accomplished via volunteers' time and efforts.
We are so proud to share this latest accomplishment with you! It is through your donations (both floral and monetary), your volunteer hours, and your help with spreading the word about our mission that we have been able to deliver 5000 smiles to area patients and elderly residents. Thank you for being a part of such a special mission!
Don't forget to RSVP for the Samuel Franklin Holiday Decor Workshop on November 18th.
RSVP via:
Use PayPal (follow this link) to pay by credit card
*mention "workshop" in the comments section*
Mail check to: 920 Volunteer Landing Ln, Ste 201, Knoxville, TN 37915
Call 865-633-9082 to put your name on the list |
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Today we delivered our 5000th bouquet! In 20 months we have delivered 5000 smiles, we have brightened the lives of 5000 people, and we have touched the lives of 10 times that many people with our mission. What a great feeling!
The day started with the arrival of 6 volunteers from TVA as part of the Combined Federal Giving program, along with four of our regular Thursday volunteers. My goodness, we accomplished a LOT this morning! 42 bouquets arranged, boxes of vases washed/dried/shelved, and all of our resale inventory organized and priced for the sale. Our office has never been such a bee hive of activity!
We topped the day off with a delivery to Williamsburg Villas where we delivered our 5000th bouquet to an absolutely delightful lady who could not say enough wonderful things about her bouquet. Her reaction truly felt like all 5000 of those bouquets tied up in one package!
I would like to say a special BIG thank you to the employees of TVA who came out to volunteer with us, as well as the company as a whole for allowing their volunteers to help make a difference in our community. I would also like to say thank you to each and every one of our volunteers, whether they sit on our Board of Directors, wash vases, arrange flowers, drive pick-ups and deliveries, or stuff envelopes, our mission would NOT be accomplished without their support. It is touching to see how the kindness of so many individuals comes together to fulfill such a wonderful mission.
Thank you!
Below are some photos from the delivery. All photo credits are to Damien Powers.
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Faye, our 5000th recipient, was such a pleasure!
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Many of the residents are just as happy to have someone to talk to for a few minutes.
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Williamsburg Villas allows dogs! What a treat for residents and volunteers alike :)
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Flowers are such a simple pleasure. Joyce was certainly happy to receive her bouquet!
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Herb was such a sweetie! Never believe that men don’t like flowers.
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Our TVA employees/volunteers full of smiles after the delivery.
Random Acts of Flowers is proud to announce the 2nd Annual Fall Bulb Sale!
No garden is complete without the beauty of blooming bulbs! Plan your spring flowers while helping support a local charity at the same time. Not only will you get fabulous bulbs from our great bulb companies, you’ll also be helping the charity bring smiles to patients in area hospitals, nursing homes and hospice care centers.
Come visit us during the month of October and purchase bulbs for your garden!
Can’t make it out to one of our locations or live outside the East Tennessee area? If so, you can still order wonderful bulbs and support our charity at the same time! Order online - click here – where 50% of every order benefits Random Acts of Flowers. There’s a great selection of bulbs and they’re shipped directly to you (nationwide) for one low cost.
Saturday, October 2
Earthfare Supermarket (Bearden) / 10:00a – 2:00p
Earthfare Supermarket (Turkey Creek) / 10:00a – 2:00p
Market Square (Downtown) / 10:00a – 2:00p
Friday, October 8
U.T. Gardens – Fall Plant Sale (UT Ag Campus) / 4:00p – 6:00p
Saturday, October 9
Earthfare Supermarket (Bearden) / 10:00a – 2:00p
Earthfare Supermarket (Turkey Creek) / 10:00a – 2:00p
Market Square (Downtown) / 10:00a – 2:00p
U.T. Gardens – Fall Plant Sale (UT Ag Campus) / 9:00a – 2:00p
Clinton Fall Festival (outside Sam Franklin Florists) / 9:00a – 3:00p
Saturday, October 16
Earthfare Supermarket (Bearden) / 10:00a – 2:00p
Earthfare Supermarket (Turkey Creek) / 10:00a – 2:00p
Market Square (Downtown) / 10:00a – 2:00p
Friday, October 22
Clinton Fall Festival (outside Sam Franklin Florists) / 10:00a – 3:00p
Saturday, October 23
Earthfare Supermarket (Bearden) / 10:00a – 2:00p
Earthfare Supermarket (Turkey Creek) / 10:00a – 2:00p
Market Square (Downtown) / 10:00a – 2:00p
Clinton Fall Festival (outside Sam Franklin Florists) / 10:00a – 3:00p
Saturday, October 30
Earthfare Supermarket (Bearden) / 10:00a – 2:00p
Earthfare Supermarket (Turkey Creek) / 10:00a – 2:00p
Market Square (Downtown) / 10:00a – 2:00p
Thank you for supporting RAF and enjoy your flowers in the spring!
For over a year, “Random Acts of Flowers” has been delivering flowers to hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and hospices.
But Tuesday, a very special bouquet was delivered to St. Mary’s Medical Center. A delivery that didn’t just bring a smile to the patients face, but to the volunteers who have far exceeded their goals.
It’s a delivery unlike any other.
“We’re with random acts of flowers and this is actually our 3,000th delivery”.
Pink roses to brighten Edith Whaley’s day.
“I was laying here thinking that this day was going to be a long one and here comes these volunteers with flowers, beautiful flowers, and I’m so thankful,” says Edith Whaley, a patient at St. Mary’s Medical Center.
In just over a year, 3,000 bouquets of flowers have been delivered through the non-profit organization, “Random Acts of Flowers.”
“To spread a little cheer. Our target patients are those who don’t have many visitors while they’re here at the hospital, maybe they’ve had bad news or have been in the hospital for an extended period of time,” says Sage Morgan, a volunteer with the organization.
The program has far surpassed its goals. They thought they would deliver 20 to 30 bouquets a week. But they’re actually delivering 50 to 200 a week, thanks to donations made by community members.
“Demonstrates that even a small gift, a small contribution can make a big difference in our community.”
And a big difference in Edith’s day.
“It makes me feel better. I’ll have better day, a much better day. It makes people feel like they’re not forgotten,” says Edith.
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