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Think Spring! The month of March brings us thoughts of new beginnings, longer days due to daylight savings, and the first signs of Spring on Cape Cod. The Ospreys return from the southern United States, the Caribbean, and Central and South America to mate and breed. The Herring make their run. Crocuses and daffodils start to peek out. Many seasonal businesses start to open up in anticipation of another magical season on Cape Cod.
Flower Angels looks forward to our new beginning! The wonderful new workshop is up and running at full speed. This year, we anticipate many new volunteers and supporters of our important and growing mission to deliver random acts of love to the fine Nursing Homes, Assisted Living and Hospice facilities across Cape Cod.
This month we will spotlight 2 of these facilities -The Terraces in Orleans and Cape Regency in Centerville. Read below..............
15,244
bouquets delivered to date!
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<<<<<<Facilities Spotlight>>>>>>
Cape Regency and Brookside, Centerville, MA
Gail Fioretti-Flower Angels Volunteer
Cape Regency holds a special place in my heart as my Mother spent the last few months of her life in their loving care.
Delivering flowers to those sweet and eager residents is so fulfilling. They often wait by the front entrance and 'request' a certain color bouquet.
Engaging them in conversation or humorous banter brings added joy to both me and the recipients. I have become attached to the 107 year old who tells me of her past and her beloved son (of 84!) with the enthusiasm of someone much less her age. She is always so grateful for the flowers but most especially, my visit.
I love to drop in on 'Henry' who takes pleasure in feeding my 5 year old granddaughter Hersey kisses! He is deaf so communication is difficult but I know by his watery eyes he is
happy for our visit. Some residents light up when, on occasion, I bring my small dog, Molly. These things we surely take for granted and are only reminded of the importance and impact when we see their eyes light up and their faces smile.
The Terraces, Orleans, MA
Gerry Nolin-Flower Angels Volunteer
My name is Gerry and I have volunteered for Flower Angels for the past year. On Thursdays, I pick up our donated flowers from Shaw's Orleans and deliver them to the workshop.
I work on arranging flowers and deliver the bouquets to The Terraces in Orleans.
The Terraces is a small assisted living facility and I am able to deliver small arrangements to each of the residents in an afternoon. Everyone looks forward to the day of the Flower Angels delivery! All the staff of the Terraces are helpful, warm and welcoming. I am able to visit briefly with each person if they are in their room or leave off an arrangement if the person is participating in an activity. I tiptoe in if someone is sleeping so they will find a floral surprise when they awake. Any additional arrangements are put in common areas; the dining rooms or nursing station. The last time I made a delivery a visitor come in the door and exclaimed how beautiful all the flowers were. "Where did they come from?" "It's Flower Angel Day!"
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FEBRUARY MOMENTS!
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Our wonderful and dedicated volunteers all pitched in help move to our new workshop space. Flower Angels is so fortunate to have all of you involved in our important mission!
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Happy Birthday Mara!
Mara's 39 th surprise birthday party was celebrated at the workshop. Flower Angels was created in honor of her grandmother, Helen Carter. Mara Schusterman is the daughter of founder, Suzanne Carter and Simon Schusterman.
Mara said " I'm so filled with joy by this surprise that I feel like crying tears of joy."
"The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention"
Oscar Wilde
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1.
Sunflower
Some say that the sunflower head follows the sun's movement, a phenomenon known as heliotropism. The Sunflower head is actually made of many tiny flowers called florets. M. Heijmf in the Netherlands grew the tallest sunflower which stood over 25 feet tall in 1986. Sunflower seeds are rich in oil, which they store as a source of energy and food. This is where sunflower oil for cooking comes from.
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Rose
Roses are related to apples, raspberries, cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines, pears and almonds. Rose hips (the berry-like fruit structure of rose) of some species of rose are amongst the richest source of Vitamin C. They are used to make jams, jellies and also brewed for tea. In ancient Egypt roses were considered sacred flowers. And of course, they are the most popular Valentine's Day flower.
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Tulip
In 17th Century Holland, Tulip bulbs were more valuable than gold! The flower symbolized immortality, life and love. In 1630's a kind of frenzy for tulips occurred in Western Europe named "Tulip mania" and tulips became so expensive, as to be treated as a form of currency.Tulips lifespan is very short, being 3 to 7 days. There are now over 3000 registered varieties of tulips in the world today.
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Daffodils
Daffodils are believed to have earned their name from the word asphodel (genus of perennial plants native to western, southern and central Europe) and the Dutch article "de affodil". Another widely known name for them is Narcissus.
Daffodils are cultivated for commercial use for making galantamine, a drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
In the west, Daffodils symbolize vanity while in the East, they are a symbol of wealth and good fortune.
It is the national flower of Wales.
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Daisies
Daisies symbolize innocence.
Daisy is a 'two in one' flower i.e. white petals peripherally and tiny yellow disc petals that form the eye.
Its medicinal properties include relieving indigestion, easing of cough, slowing the bleeding and easing back pain.
Some daisies open their petals in day's sun, but close them in evening when sunsets giving them the name "day's eyes".
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Looking for a great charity to support? Are you inspired by Flower Angels mission of delivering random acts of love? Do you think lifting the spirits of thousands of wonderful people in Nursing Homes and Hospice across Cape Cod, many of whom rarely have visitors, is
important?
Why not make Flower Angels the beneficiary of your groups and clubs' charitable efforts? Garden Clubs, Women's Clubs, Men's Clubs, Sports Clubs, Book Groups, Dinner Groups, Craft Groups, etc. can all make a difference in the lives of wonderful, lonely people.
All donations are recognized with a beautiful flower card attached to each bouquet so each recipient knows the generous individual or group who has taken the time to think of them!
Levels of sponsorship:
1 bouquet $20
3 bouquets $50
8 bouquets $100
Cart full of flowers (25 bouquets) $250
Sponsor 2 deliveries (70-80 bouquets) $500
Sponsor a week of deliveries (200-225 bouquets) $1000
"No one has ever become poor from giving"
Anne Frank
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With Gratitude....
A huge thank you to the local businesses who donated their materials and services to get our new workshop space ready for the Flower Angels.
Shepley's, Lowes, Clean Green and Mauricio's Painting Company
all contributed to our beautiful new workshop. Also, our sincere thanks to David Scanlon for all his hard work and Frank Mastromauro for welcoming Flower Angels into his space. A tremendous effort by all. Without their kindness and generosity, the renovation would not have been possible. Flower Angels relies solely on donations and the generosity of others to operate. Thank you all for believing in Flower Angels!
Sincerely,
Suzanne Carter
Flower Angels USA
851 Rt. 28 S. Yarmouth, MA 02664 (Workshop)
P.O. Box 14
West Dennis, MA 02670 (Mailing)
508-280-9869
Volume 1, Issue 8
Editors: Debra Brown, Deborah O'Connor
Contributor: Kathleen Tosiello
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