On Wednesday, Oct. 16, Wellington Florist joined with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Palm Beach County to surprise unsuspecting passersby in Wellington and West Palm Beach with two free flower bouquets each — one to keep and one to give to a friend, family member, colleague or even a stranger.
The random-acts-of-kindness effort — called Petal It Forward and organized by the Society of American Florists (SAF), of which Wellington Florist is a member — is designed to help people start their day with more smiles and less stress. The effort illustrates research from the University of North Florida that shows living with flowers reduces stress.
“Petal It Forward is the floral industry’s way of giving back,” said Elizabeth Daly, SAF’s manager of marketing and communications, noting that the effort was purposefully planned for a Wednesday to help the mid-week slump.
J.P. Varvarigos, owner of Wellington Florist, wanted to be a part of the mood-boosting effort and make a difference in the community. He also wanted to be a part of this effort with a local nonprofit and decided to work with Habitat for Humanity to assist in this random-acts-of-kindness effort.
“We see the positive impact day in and day out when we make our flower deliveries,” Varvarigos said. “People love to get flowers ‘just because,’ so we wanted to create random smiles today and give people a chance to do the same for someone else… Through the positive effects of flowers, we hope to make someone’s day brighter, and provide a much-needed moment of calm amidst the hectic pace of life.”
The research findings on flowers and stress relief, and the need for mood-boosting gestures, seem timely. A survey by Wakefield Research in July showed that 68 percent of Americans experience stress weekly, and 32 percent report feeling stressed daily. Women are even more affected, with 25 percent reporting stress multiple times a day.
Varvarigos said the original idea behind Petal It Forward’s “keep one, share one” concept, which started in 2015, came after looking at statistics that showed while 80 percent of people reported receiving flowers makes them happy, even more (88 percent) said that giving flowers makes them happy. “We want to give people the chance to experience both,” Varvarigos explained.
Julia Murphy, chief development officer at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Palm Beach County was eager to get involved.
“We are excited to be a part of this nationwide event to help brighten the day of people in our community,” she said. “Our Habitat team will hand out 2,000 flowers donated by Wellington Florist throughout the day all over our county.”
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office also gave away 300 roses from Wellington Florist in front of the Palm Beach County Courthouse, and the Wellington Rotary Club passed out 500 flowers in the Wellington area. A total of 3,500 flowers were given away by Wellington Florist during Petal It Forward.
Wellington Florist has been serving Wellington and the Palm Beaches since 1991. Third-generation owner and operator J.P. Varvarigos and the 25-person crew are committed to offering only the finest floral, plant and orchid arrangements, backed by detail-oriented and dependable service. Wellington Florist delivers same-day throughout Palm Beach County, and all of their arrangements come with a seven-day guarantee. To learn more, visit www.wellingtonflorist.com.
