A Milestone: Heliotrope for Hospice- One Year, already!
“Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” -Hans Christian Andersen
As of July 24th, Heliotrope for Hospice is one year old! That is the day, in 2011, I made the first floral delivery to San Diego Hospice! It was before we were even approved as a 501(c)(3) “official” non-profit. It was the day I decided to make Heliotrope a reality, no matter how long the paperwork took to complete. A step of faith, because an idea is only a concept until it is an action.
Here’s the short version: back in January 2011, I had an idea. Big thoughts of the possibility of free flowers for people in hospice care. In April 2011, I had dinner with some friends, and I said it all out loud! So an idea is set in motion by the sheer act of speaking. I began the research, online and at a SCORE (Service Corps Of Retired Executives) Workshop on “How to Start a Non-Profit”. Slowly, but surely, I completed the forms for California, sent it in, and received everything back in August. The Date of Incorporation was stamped back in May! Due to delays, I thought the Federal IRS paperwork would not come back until January of 2012, but it was approved in late October! With that 501(c)(3) document in hand, I approached Trader Joe’s in Pt. Loma for donations of old flowers. Not immediately, but eventually I heard from them in January, and it’s been amazing to receive their donations ever since, to make arrangements every weekend for hospice patients.
From my general calculations, approximately 1,560 mason jars filled with flowers have been delivered to people who are living in hospice care. For some, it may have struck a memory of their garden. For others, perhaps it was the first time they had ever received a gift of flowers. It is not the number… it is knowing those people had flowers to celebrate one more week, day or hour of their lives.
So on this first anniversary of Heliotrope for Hospice, thank you to everyone who has been involved. Scott and Roger (my small but purposeful Board of Directors!); Kim, Jaime, Nora and Julia at San Diego Hospice; Sara at Trader Joe’s, Pt. Loma; Marge (Mason Jar Queen) and her family; Chuck and Laurie for your weekly pick ups at TJs, and the culling of useable flowers; my mom, sister and brother for your incredible generosity; Carleton for creating a fantastic website, and (patiently) teaching me WordPress! To all who have donated time, flowers and financial support- Your encouragement and belief that this is a worthy endeavor have strengthened the steadiness of purpose.
To paraphrase Hans Christian Anderson, I wish you sunshine, freedom, and a little [favorite] flower of your choice! Get a blossom or two, and celebrate!
super diane, your such a glorious inspiration to all. your kind, generous and passionate about what you do. about making every day, hour, minute and moment special. you show people that helping others isn’t intimidating or overwhelming and that making a difference can be done one flower at a time. you make such an impact in the quality of peoples lives with your devotion to help these patients. your the true definition of a super star! thanks for being as amazing as always and congrats on almost 2 years of awesomeness!! yay!!
Nicole- thank you so much! today was amazing as 15 volunteers came together to make 175 arrangements for people in care! This grand floral donation came one month before Heliotrope’s two year anniversary!! I like what you said… one flower at a time… whether there are 36 or 175 mason jars, I love each Sunday when flowers reach people who need them most! You and your mom are right hand superstars- there to help in any way. Know I appreciate you very much 🙂