A local business is giving back to the community through an unconventional fundraising incentive: roses.
Madeline’s Flower Shop began Roses for Hope six years ago, offering six roses to every person who donates either $5 or five 16oz-canned goods to benefit the HOPE Center of Edmond. This year’s fundraiser will take place through Nov. 26.
The HOPE Center, which stands for Helping Our People in Emergencies, provides assistance to members of the Edmond community by meeting basic needs in personal emergencies or crises.
“We have found in the past that when someone is given six roses they don’t usually keep them for themselves,” Barbara Bilke, owner of Madeline’s Flower Shop, said. “They give them out to other people, which makes the event a more rewarding experience for the Madeline Flower Shop.”
Bilke said she has been happy to give the flowers every year.
“This has been a great chance for us to give back to the community and we picked the HOPE Center because it is here in Edmond,” Bilke said. “We have always had a good response to this event and it seems to grow every year.”
Bilke said the holiday season is an important time for all the help centers around the area to provide relief to residents in the community.
“We always have this event in November because the HOPE Center of Edmond always needs food and supplies more and more during the holiday season,” Bilke said.
Sophomores Allyson Stewart and Taylor Wallin participated in the event last year.
“It was really something that wasn’t hard to do at all,” Stewart said. “I would participate in this again because the flowers were really beautiful and made me really feel good to do something for someone I didn’t know around the holiday season.”
Wallin said she hopes the event continues to be successful this year.
“I was just walking to the cafeteria and saw that I would be able to buy flowers and my donation would go towards the HOPE Center of Edmond,” Wallin said “I was going to give the $5, but I decided to go ahead and give five cans of food instead. It was not as easy as just giving money, but it felt more direct to be able to give food that someone could eat during the holiday season.”
Wallin said he noticed the unique nature of giving roses on a holiday other than Valentine’s Day.
“It was interesting to see roses being handed out when it wasn’t Valentines Day,” Wallin said. “When I talked to the people working it, they said that it was for food that people would have during the holiday season…. and it really doesn’t matter what time of the year it is flowers are always nice.”
The roses prompted another way to pay it forward among the Oklahoma Christian University community.
“Getting six roses was great, but I really only wanted a couple for my room so I remember giving a couple to some of my friends in the cafeteria,” Stewart said.
Bilke said the event looks good for the flower shop, but it is not all about advertising.
“I think, too, that it is really rewarding for us because it makes us feel good,” Bilke said. “Edmond has been my home for so long that I want everyone to have just as happy of a holiday season that I hope to have.”
Donations can be made at Madeline’s Flower Shop at 1030 S. Broadway in Edmond, Oklahoma.
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