Florist’s Surprise Deliveries
May 2009
Written by Amy Johnson
Photography by Brian M. Freer
Volunteers Gloria Moss, Joy Lash, Mary Ellen McGuire and Kathy de Leon (left to right) share lots of laughs as they assemble Blooms That Brighten bouquets for delivery.
Who doesn’t like to receive flowers on Valentine’s Day or a fresh vase of tulips on Mother’s Day? Even wildflowers picked by a small child and arranged in a bucket convey a beautiful sentiment because of the thought and effort behind them.
Similarly, Patti and Dave DeBlass, owners of Schmidt’s Florist in Williamsburg, have watched a small gesture blossom into an endearing venture that has brought smiles to hundreds of area assisted living and retirement community residents.
After a busy Valentine’s Day at Schmidt’s, Patti DeBlass saw that she had several red roses left over. She decided to call Patriot’s Colony, a local retirement community, and ask if they had a need for a flower arrangement.
Patti (above) and Dave DeBlass, owners of Schmidt’s Florist, share joy and “live green” by extending the usefulness of their leftover flowers.
“I just got the idea that it might be nice to give someone our excess flowers—that it might brighten their day,” remembers DeBlass.
Patriot’s Colony loved the idea and told Patti they’d be happy to take extra arrangements whenever they were available. From there, the concept—coined Blooms That Brighten—grew. It was decided that residents at Patriot’s Colony would be chosen at random and surprised with flowers. A log would be kept to make sure everyone got an arrangement to enjoy.
“To see the look on their faces when they receive the flowers, whether they are zinnias, carnations or roses, is just amazing,” says DeBlass.
Soon the community caught wind of Schmidt’s donations, and other retirement centers and assisted living facilities wanted to know how they could participate. Says DeBlass: “The community just really embraced this idea.”
Aware of the fact that many of the elderly in assisted living are either living alone or are lacking spontaneity in their lives, DeBlass believes flowers can help: “Flowers are good for people. When you see them on a day-to-day basis, it definitely makes a difference in your life.”
A behavioral study conducted by Nancy Etcoff, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School found that people feel more compassionate toward others, have less worry and anxiety and feel less depressed when fresh-cut flowers are in their home.
In another study conducted by Dr. Jeannette Haviland-Jones of Rutgers University, it was reported that flowers trigger happy emotions, heighten feelings of satisfaction and affect social behavior in a positive manner.
Though it’s only been a few months, Blooms That Brighten has grown tremendously. DeBlass’ “little” idea now involves a team of volunteers who arrange the flowers and drop them off at local facilities. The certified non-profit services eight facilities including the Williamsburg Hospice House, where a bouquet arrives for every new guest. On average, DeBlass estimates that she sends out between 40 and 50 arrangements a week.
“It amazes me every week,” she says. “It’s been less than a year since we’ve been doing this, and it’s growing like crazy. Ultimately we’d love to serve all the facilities every week, but each week it depends on what donations we get and the number of volunteers we have.”
According to DeBlass: “We just want to bring flowers to any facility that has senior citizens, no matter their economic status. We’ve had people say they’ve never gotten flowers before.”
For residents of Madison Retirement Center, receiving anything out of the ordinary— especially something as uplifting as flowers—is enough to brighten their entire month, let alone their day, says Administrator Jeff Charles. “We are an assisted living facility that receives people on Medicaid,” he explains. “[Our residents] are on a very tight budget. They may treat themselves to take-out pizza once a month, but that’s usually it. That’s why it’s even more important and special for them to receive flowers.”
“We really appreciate it,” he adds. “[Schmidt’s has] been so generous. They bring us these beautiful flowers that brighten our residents’ lives—it’s certainly a blessing.”
Spare blooms brighten another’s day
The Virginia Gazette, April 19, 2008
By Ann Efimetz
JAMES CITY — One day when Patti DeBlass, who owns Schmidt's Flowers & Accessories, looked at a variety of flowers left over from a busy holiday season, she had an idea.
"Instead of tossing the flowers, I made a few phone calls to area nursing homes," DeBlass said in a recent interview "In Williamsburg there are a lot of retired people who spend a lot of time alone. Many times they are not able to get outside and enjoy what we can every day."
So she arranged the flowers in vases and sent them off to various facilities. "I wanted to send arrangement out to brighten people's days," she said. "It kind of blossomed from there." That's how "Blooms that Brighten" germinated. It has continued to grow, with area organizations, including Hospice House and Support Care, enjoying the colorful arrangements.
"It has become something they love to get each week," she said. DeBlass and her husband, David, moved to Williamsburg from New Jersey. She has owned the business for about a year. As a florist, she knows the positive impact flowers can have.
DeBlass cited various studies that have been done regarding flowers as having a restorative effect in people's lives. She said that flower delivery is coveted because it is generally such an up-beat job. ''Everyone in the store wants to deliver the flowers because they get to see the reactions of people," DeBlass said. "It is a rare thing to find someone who doesn't love getting flowers —men, women, young, old. There is nothing like it when you go to deliver flowers, nothing like it. The look on people’s faces when you bring flowers changes your day."
Although DeBlass can use leftover flowers for Blooms that Brighten, containers to hold them pose a challenge. Leftover containers aren't as abundant. She depends on people from the community to donate empty vases and containers. She encourages anyone who would like to help to drop containers by the store, which is located in the Gallery Shops in Lightfoot.
Eventually, she would like a corps of volunteers to help her with the arranging. "I would love to make it non-profit organization and set it apart from the store," she said. "I would love to grow it into something else, no pun intended, where we had volunteers helping, so we can help brighten up people's days." She tries to make at least two Blooms that Brighten deliveries per week, but because the store can get busy, she often can't do as much as she would like. Volunteers could help there, too. DeBlass said that she regularly tries to send bud vases of flowers to the residents of Dominion Village. "You walk in and the look on their faces is unbelievable," she said. "It is a wonderful thing” DeBlass enjoys her daily routine at the store, but admits that Blooms that Brighten is one of the most satisfying things she does. "I get more out of it than I give," she said.
