For an office-bound flower lover, ie me, it’s nice to get out in the real world once in a while. Over the weekend, I attended Blogher.com’s conference in San Francisco. Yesterday, I met a fantastic Teleflora florist and helped deliver flowers as part of the company’s Make Someone Smile Week, a program to give our Be Happy bouquets to those in need of a pick-me-up.
My TF colleagues and I headed over to the Veteran’s Hospital in West Los Angeles, where we met up with Liz Seiji, owner of Edelweiss Flower Boutique in Santa Monica, edelweissflower.com, and her team.
Nearly 20 florists helped arrange 300 bouquets; about a half-dozen assisted with delivery. Local wholesalers and growers donated flowers.
One of my Teleflora colleagues gives a bouquet
to a patient at the VA Hospital in West LA.
“Typically at a hospital you see an abundance of flowers, but here it’s not uncommon not to see flowers,” said Liz. “Some of the patients feel like they’re forgotten. Delivering these flowers lets the vets know that there are people out there thinking of them. They are appreciated.
“And the majority of them are men so they’re not used to receiving flowers. It lightens their load and it’s very rewarding. I get a lot of satisfaction out of it.”
Liz and her husband Tony also tapped a dozen helpers from local chapters of the Elks, American Legion and Freemasons.
“Vets are No.1,” said Raedean Kiesz of the Santa Monica Elks Lodge #906. “As long as there is a vet there, there’ll be an Elk to help take care of that vet.”
Don Glaza, commander of American Legion Lodge #177, thought the Be Happy bouquets were a natural. “You can see how the flowers cheer everybody up. Flowers put a smile on everybody’s face.”
One of those faces was outpatient and former Marine Manuel Guerrero who said flowers are a reminder that a positive attitude is key to beating his illness. “You have to believe you’re going to get better,” he said.
“Oh, you have to,” agreed hospital volunteer Beverly Moore, who radiated optimism and positive energy as she greeted patients and staff on the delivery rounds. Beverly is also a veteran. “We’re here for each other,” she told me.
Outpatient and former Marine Tom Short also smiled when he saw the mugs of bright blooms. “Flowers are nice. They brighten up the place.”
Make Someone Smile Week runs through Saturday. For more information, please visit teleflora.com/makesomeonesmile.
Flower Fact of the Day: Florists across the U.S. and Canada are participating in Make Someone Smile Week. Read what happened in a Colorado town where flowers cheered those who endured hardships after a tornado in May: coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080723/BUSINESS/807230351.