It’s a new program that could very likely turn into a perennial.
U-Rebloom gathers flowers used at a variety of campus events and delivers them to local nursing homes, senior residences and hospice facilities.
Student volunteers travel with Kenney Center Director Angela Tatum, Dining Services Director of Operations Callie Stacey and Judith Gardner Ainlay, director of Special Institutional Relations, who conceived the idea.
“Students not only deliver flowers, but they also get to spend quality time with the residents,” said Tatum, who recounted “another fabulous day” at the Annie Schaffer Day Facility recently.
“Everyone was excited to see us,” she said. “We had the chance to learn about their families, former jobs, careers and spouses, and to see lots of family pictures. We witnessed one gentleman surprise his wife with the flowers when she came to pick him up.”
The Rebloom project may lead to another arrangement. On the bus ride back to campus from the nursing home, “We decided we want to do a new activity with the residents,” Tatum said, “since we heard that they’re bored with Bingo.”