EDMONDS — The project was sparked when club members Judy and James Forgey were at a local supermarket handing out white cane lapel pins to raise awareness to the Lions’ philanthropic work with the blind.
“I watched a store clerk taking flowers out of the bin, pulling them and throwing them away,” Judy Forgey recalled. “She asked me if I wanted some, and I immediately said ‘yes,’ that I could take some over to the hospital. Things don’t look too cheery for patients and there are a lot of people, young and old, who are not able to get out.”
Following the initial delivery of cheer, Forgey realized that to continue the project, a constant resource for flowers needed to be found.
“I went to local markets and all said they could not provide flowers that were not in saleable condition,” she said. “I then went to Stadium Flowers and they said they would love to participate.”
The florist has now been donating flowers, a blink past their prime, for one year.
“It’s a nice thing we can do for the community,” said Patty MacPherson, store manager. “The people who take the flowers tell us what a smile they put on (shut-ins’) faces. It really brightens their day.”
“We usually have flowers that may not be perfect to sell,” MacPherson said. “We would rather recycle them than just put them in the trash bin. They are just too good to toss.”
Other Lions Club members stepped up to be on the flower delivering committee and now spend one day a month making the rounds through Stevens Hospital, adult family homes, assisted living and residence care facilities.
Stadium Flowers bundles flowers ready for the Lions. The Forgeys and their crew pick them up, bring them to one of the club member’s homes and craft individual bouquets, complete with a bow and a card from the club.
During each stop the Lions personally stop to chat with shut-ins while delivering their flowers.
“Some of their stories are heartbreaking,” Judy Forgey said. “One man said no one had come to see him for months. One memory care patient thought James was her son. A man in the hospital said, ‘I don’t deserve any flowers.’ I told him, ‘Of course you do.’ It’s good to talk to people and makes us feel good equally.”
The Edmonds club’s project will receive attention around the world. International Lions Club will be featuring the flower project in an upcoming issue of its magazine.
“We are always looking for good ideas how to help people,” Judy Forgey said.
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