Happiness in a rose

By Kate Hassett

Happiness in a rose
The woman who made it her mission to bring a smile to hospice care patients, one flower at a time.

According to a study  from Rutgers University, every person who received flowers during research had a positive response. The power a simple bunch of flowers can change someones day in a heartbeat.

Shawn Chamberlain, a landscaper, was working in a hospice care facility when she noticed a young women standing near the garden. She realised the young woman, and mother, was a patient in the ward. Chamberlain immediately gathered up a bunch of flowers and handed it to the woman, who responded with a huge smile.

It was from this moment that Chamberlain saw what an effect such a simple gesture could have on someone who was suffering, like this woman. She knew she wanted to help but wasn’t sure how she could afford to, until she thought of weddings.

The abundance of flowers used in weddings and events were the perfect place for Chamberlain to start her business idea – The Full Bloom. After all, most of these expensive bouquets and arrangements are used for a one-time event and thrown out afterwards, sending thousands of dollars to waste. Chamberlain saw an opportunity to harvest these beautiful flowers and recycle them for good, so she put the call out to event managers, wedding planners and community organises and with no hesitation, they all agreed to help facilitate her idea.

Now Chamberlain spends her time collecting flowers and arranging them into beautiful vases to be gifted, anonymously, to patients in long-term care facilities.

The people who receive these flowers never know who they came from, only that someone, somewhere was thinking of them, and that is enough to brighten anyones day.

 

 

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