RAPID CITY, S.D. — Cody Brown of Rapid City says the sight and smell of flowers helped to lift his spirits when his father passed away six years ago.
Last year, in honor of the fourth anniversary of his father’s passing, Cody wanted to spread joy to others.
And with help from community members and businesses, he created the Flower Power gesture.
Brown says, “We wanted to find a way to give back to the community and spread some cheer on a day that is normally sad to us. I thought that we could do it reasonably to bring cheers without having a lot of stuff going on.”
Sponsors collect vases and funds for the flowers, and then Cody and the other volunteers assemble flower bouquets to be distributed to people in the community who may need a lift.
Bouquets have been delivered to places like Monument Health Rapid City Hospital, assisted living communities, and the VFW. Staff at Black hills Advocate jumped on the Flower Power wagon when they heard about it.
Jenny Schmidt, owner of Black Hills Advocate, says, “Ever since the pandemic started, people are really needing a lift. I think if there is a second wave of the pandemic it’s the wave of mental health and some depression, especially among people who might be sick or experiencing health concerns or who are seniors, so we just really felt like it was a fit for us with what we do with our business.”
Around 150 vases of flowers were delivered on Thursday. Victoria’s Garden sell the flowers wholesale to the group. Flower Power is currently working on a logo and nonprofit organization status.
Click here for more information on Flower Power.
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