Donation of flower bouquets brightens Skokie team’s day
07/14/23 01:00:pm
When Skokie outreach representative, Lauren Silverman, saw a post on social media from the nonprofit organization, Inspire Through Flowers, she got an idea.
“The post touched my heart,” says Lauren. “There were pictures of volunteers delivering bouquets to a local hospital. I went to their website to learn more and I sent them a message to see if they would deliver to our clinicians.”
Lauren says she thought the flowers would be a small gesture of appreciation for the team.
“I’m so grateful for the work they do in our communities,” she says. “They help others when they can’t help themselves. They show up in difficult situations and are heroes to those in need. Their work doesn’t go unnoticed.”
A few months after Lauren submitted her request, the founder of Inspire Through Flowers called to let her know she would grant it. When delivery day finally arrived, volunteers showed up with 60 bouquets.
“I sent a Teams message asking everyone to come to the fifth floor kitchen for a surprise,” she says. “When they walked in, they had huge smiles on their faces. There were a lot of hugs and some of us (maybe me) cried a little. Everyone expressed gratitude and many said they felt seen and appreciated. Every teammate who was in the clinic that day was able to take home a bouquet.”
“It was such a fun surprise and I felt so appreciated for the work we do here,” says Lauren Heslinga, Skokie therapist.
Therapist, Izabela Gluszak, calls it an “Unexpected delight!”
With 20 bouquets leftover, Lauren decided to give them to local fire and police stations.
“We call them from time-to-time to assist in various situations, so I wanted to make them feel special as well,” she says. “I asked if they could call their chief to be included in our pictures. The firemen were hilarious – giggling and kind of awkward since no one has ever given them flowers. It was awesome.”
Lauren wishes an organization like Inspire Through Flowers was available in every community where Rogers teammates work.
