It feels like the blink of an eye since the holidays and the start of 2019, but so much has happened at Random Acts of Flowers in the first two months of the year. We’re excited to share with you all the news.Since January 1, we’ve made more than 3,000 deliveries of hope and encouragement, re-purposed more than 3,500 vases, and our dedicated volunteers have dedicated 900 hours. 

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

March 14, 2019
6:00-8:00pm
$40 per person

Join us for a special Flowers After Hours where you will be guided to create a spring arrangement in a vintage Teleflora/FTD ceramic container to take home and additional arrangements for delivery to a local healthcare facility!

Though Kimberly Coyne may be RAF Tampa Bay’s newest Board Member, she has supported the branch and its mission from the very beginning by donating vases and attending events. She has seen delivering hope from all perspectives and she knows that “no matter what touch point, from every volunteer to every person who donates, the simple thought of knowing that you are putting a smile on someone’s face warms your heart. Being a part of RAF and knowing that you help contribute to making people feel encouraged, thought of, and cared for is what the world needs.”

Personal connections and memories also motivate Kimberly to stay involved –

“My parents raised us to care about our community and to give back whenever and however we can. My grandmother was in a nursing home and she always loved when we would bring her flowers, it would always brighten her day. It’s nice knowing that RAF can make others who don’t have family/friends to bring them flowers, be able to experience the same happiness when they receive flowers from us.”

She also remembers how RAF affected the lives of some friends during a difficult time. “A family friend’s mother was hospitalized, and she received a bouquet from RAF which brightened her day after receiving difficult news from her doctor. A few weeks later, she was moved to hospice where she received another bouquet. The family relayed to me how much it meant to her and to them that these bouquets put a smile on their Mom’s face each time.”

SAVE THE DATE FOR
RUN FOR THE ROSES
Our Annual Kentucky Derby Party returns
Saturday, May 4th, 2019Mark your calendars for an afternoon
of mint juleps, big hats, and a whole lot of fun – all in support of the RAF mission!

WELCOMING RAF’S NEW COO JERILYN BLISS

RAF’s new National Chief Operating Officer, Jerilyn Bliss, joined the team at the beginning of February. She is bringing her expertise from her years at Scripps Networks Interactive (home of HGTV, Animal Planet, and Discovery) and will be helping all of RAF’s branches flourish in 2019 and far beyond! She will be based in Knoxville, but will make frequent visits to all the RAF branches.

The first time volunteer Doris Goldman made an RAF delivery, she experienced first-hand the impact that delivering hope can have on a recipient (and on a volunteer). She recalls that “the first time I did a delivery one particular recipient said to me, ‘I cannot afford these flowers.’ And when I was able to tell her, ‘They are for you, from Random Acts of Flowers, no charge,’ we both welled up with tears.”In the two years since that first delivery, Doris has kept volunteering because she see the need for “giving new life to used flowers In order to bring joy and comfort to those in need.”

She does say her work as an RAF volunteer can be bittersweet sometimes. She says, “RAF brings me both sadness and great joy. Sadness in that I now realize how many people are desperate for a little sunshine in their lives and joy in that we bring some rays of hope and smiles to them.” Doris stays motivated to serve because she sees RAF’s growing success and because of the many great friends and memories she’s made with us.