Volunteers gather at David Paredez's wholesale operation to arrange bouquets for Make Someone Smile Week®

On July 22, in Tucson, Ariz., about 23 floral industry members delivered 409 floral arrangements in less than an hour. It wasn't a Guinness Book of World Records attempt but part of Teleflora's Make Someone Smile® Week (July 22-28), which enlists thousands of florists to deliver floral arrangements to local hospitals, charities and organizations.

David Paredez, AzMF, an honorary member of his Teleflora unit's board of directors, gathered about 18 volunteers from 13 local flowers shops at his wholesale house, Southern Arizona Floral, on July 21 to make more than 550 flower arrangements using flowers donated by local vendors and Teleflora's Be Happy® Mugs. "It was a blast," he says of the get-together.

The group spent the next day delivering the arrangements to two local low-income housing developments for the elderly and disabled. "Every year we pick something different," says Paredez, who has participated in the week for the past four years. "We have done assisted living homes and veteran hospitals" in the past.

"Everybody pulled together," he says of the effort. "I was amazed at the cooperation ... When it was all over and done with, you see the smiles -- a lot of the florists themselves have the biggest smiles."

He says many parents who volunteered also brought their children on the delivery rounds. "We bring our kids ... they get to feel the joy we get from delivering flowers."

Children weren't the only ones getting a behind-the-scenes look at Make Someone Smile® Week. While Paredez says that "We really don't pursue media attention" for this week, he was put in contact with a reporter from the Arizona Daily Star through one of the volunteer florists. The result? The group's efforts were the subject of an article in the newspaper.

Paredez even scored some new recruits for next year -- members of the residence council that helps run one of the housing developments said "'Wherever you guys [decide to donate to] next year -- we don't care. We want to help,'" Paredez says. 

During this year's event, which was developed in 2000, Teleflora donated 38,000 mugs to participating units. Florists in all 45 Teleflora units and more than 5,000 volunteers participated.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 

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