Lindsay Garden Club spreads Christmas cheer
The Christmas holidays can be a very challenging and often a lonely time for our loved ones in long-term care homes. With that in mind, volunteers from the Lindsay Garden Club “Flower Power” initiative spent December 14 packing and delivering brightly-coloured Kalanchoe plants and handmade Christmas Cards to over 600 seniors living in long-term care homes in Lindsay.
The heart-warming handmade cards, made by local elementary school children, brought smiles, laughter, and tears of joy to the residents as well as staff and volunteers. “Now this makes Christmas” was quoted by one of the recipients as she opened her card! Immediately following deliveries, messages from staff were received, including one that read “you can’t imagine the ripple effect this had had through our home already.”
The Lindsay Garden Club “Flower Power” initiative was first inspired from Dahlia May Flower farm, near Trenton, whose charitable flower giving initiatives give back to seniors in their community. Determined to show our local seniors the same appreciation, the club struck a committee, and the Flower Power Project was born. The club hopes that other horticultural societies will be inspired to “spread the love, one flower at a time” in their own communities.
The club gives special thanks to the students from the following schools for sharing their love with their wonderful Christmas cards this holiday season: St. Dominic Catholic Elementary School, Queen Victoria Public School, King Albert Public School, Parkview Public School, St. Mary Catholic Elementary School, St. John Paul 2nd Catholic Elementary School, and Alexandra Public School.
Special thanks are also due to Kawartha Lakes Classic Flowers for their knowledge and support in bringing this project together.
The Lindsay Garden Club (Lindsay and District Horticultural Society) has been operating in Lindsay since 1867. Currently, the club has over 100 members and is growing. Its goal is to encourage interest and improvements in horticulture in our community through a variety of means such as educational horticultural meetings, field trips, plant exhibits, competitions, plant sales, and community beautification projects. The club holds the Lindsay Garden Tour each year, featuring the most beautiful gardens of Lindsay and area. It also dedicates many volunteer hours maintaining the gardens at Victoria Manor in Lindsay.
To find out more about becoming a Lindsay Garden Club member and the Flower Power initiative, please visit lindsaygardenclub.com.
