In Bloom Newsletter – Spring 2018

On Saturday, May 5th, we celebrated both the Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo with our Spring fundraising event, Derby de Mayo. The party at The Island Way Grill included a silent auction, mint juleps AND margaritas, a best derby hat or sombrero competition, and whole lot of fun! We look forward to our spring fete all year long, and we’re happy to report that it was a big success!

AND – on Wednesday, May 9th, we hosted a SOLD OUT Flowers After Hours focused on teacup arrangements! Participants kept one arrangement for themselves and a second got delivered to a local healthcare facility!

OUR MAN OF STEEL, SUPER RICK!

Volunteer Rick Lawrence spends his workdays supplying raw materials to iron, steel, aluminum, and fertilizer companies, but he knows the power of flowers and the strength of the impact that delivering hope can have. He decided to get involved in 2014 after seeing a presentation at his local Rotary club.Rick sees the before and after value of the RAF mission. For him, the most important thing that RAF does is “repurposing flowers that before would be thrown away.” He loves that the flowers give him an opportunity for his favorite part of volunteering, “meeting the grateful recipients and staff at the hospital, helping others, and putting smiles on people’s faces.”

He loves volunteering so much and is so eager to share the RAF mission that he sometimes brings friends on his deliveries and pick-ups. He hopes that people realize how hard all the volunteers work creating the beautiful flower arrangements that he gets to deliver.

Christine Hamacher, our partner at Home Care Now, has seen firsthand how the smallest act of kindness can make a difference. “I have always been resourceful and an avid supporter of “paying it forward” — so to be a part of an organization operating on both of those principles was a perfect fit for me,” she says. “I love that so many hands come together to get a single bouquet in front of someone who least expects it but can benefit from it the most.”

As the Director of Outreach & Development for Home Care Now (a locally-owned, private duty in-home health care agency that serves Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties), Christine sees “every day how isolation and loneliness can affect our older population.” She believes “it’s important for us to find ways to reach out to those that may not have family nearby and let them know that they are not alone. The smallest gesture can help elevate their mood and remind them that they are valued.”

Marilyn Schnee became an RAF Tampa Bay Board Member just about a year ago after attending the Run for the Roses event last spring. She was immediately drawn to the mission of delivering hope, but also to the family of dedicated people who make the mission happen. “RAF provides healing through the beauty of flowers and a smile for not only patients and the elderly, but also for the countless volunteers that make all that happen. Our volunteers thrive on the joy working with flowers brings to others and themselves!”As a veteran herself, she especially values the opportunity to thank men and woman who have served in the armed forces by delivering to VA facilities. “My favorite deliveries are to our local VA facilities. I tend to seek out female fellow Veterans (I don’t get to visit many). During one of our Christmas 2017 deliveries, I met a lady who was overcome with gratitude by the arrangement I delivered – needless to say, I was too. She agreed to a picture, and I have it saved on my phone as inspiration for every arrangement I assemble or deliver!”

Thursday, July 19th, 2018    6-8pm

564 Frederica Lane, Suite A
Dunedin, FL 34698

The $35 ticket price includes container, flowers, and instruction on floral arranging.