Bluebirds & Blooms Brings Flowers and Smiles
by Susan Dowd, Outreach Committee member
Each year, St. Stephen’s Outreach Committee awards grants to community organizations doing meaningful work beyond our doors. The funds for these grants come directly from the proceeds of our annual fundraiser for Outreach Ministry, the Bash After Dark, as well as from dedicated gifts from our church’s endowment, The Stephen’s Fund.
Bluebirds & Blooms is a recent grant recipient. Begun in 2018 by Karen Wooldridge and her friend Laura Hogan, this organization extends joy to people living in memory care, hospice, and other care communities by delivering recycled flowers – in fact, over 10,000 bouquets a year. The flowers come from weddings, funerals, church worship services, and retail stores. They are repurposed into beautiful bedside bouquets. Bluebirds & Blooms currently supplies flowers – and smiles – to 38 communities. They will add two more in 2021.
“Flowers are our entry in the door, but the real magic is the social interaction with seniors,” they explain. “The caring visit from our volunteers can brighten a moment for someone who may be experiencing loneliness, isolation, depression, anxiety, or other issues of memory loss.”
An Outreach grant for $5,000 was recently approved for Bluebirds & Blooms. The Outreach Committee supported Bluebirds & Blooms in 2020 as well, funding that allowed them to purchase more mason jars and serve more people.
In addition to financial support, St. Stephen’s parishioners can get involved in volunteering with the organization. Bluebirds & Blooms always needs volunteers for flower pick-ups, preparation, arranging, and deliveries. Lisa Flint, a long-time St. Stephen’s parishioner and Bluebirds & Blooms volunteer, shares, “The appeal for me is that I love working with flowers, especially since the bouquets we make bring smiles to the faces of so many living in memory care and long-term care facilities. My parents lived in a nursing home for a few years, and I became keenly aware that so many folks do not have family around to brighten their days. A little bouquet of flowers can make all the difference, knowing that someone cares.” Visit the Bluebirds & Blooms website for more information.
SUPPORT THE BASH AFTER DARK
The Bash has been a part of our community since 1988 and in its 34-year history, the Bash has raised over $900,000 for outreach. These funds enable us to support organizations like the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery each year. We hope you’ll join us for an elegant evening stroll through the woods this fall as the Bash After Dark returns on Saturday, October 9th. Visit the Bash After Dark page to learn how YOU can support this event and help us raise the funds to continue supporting our outreach partners in 2022.
