The pandemic has cancelled so many events and rites of passages this year, but it won’t stand in the way of one of Dalene Baker’s most treasured days: Petal It Forward. The owner of Baker Florist briefly debated participating in the Society of American Florists’ annual goodwill project on Wed., Oct. 21, before deciding it was more important than ever.
“Like many florists, our finances aren’t as great as they were last year,” said Baker, the fourth-generation owner of the business, which has locations in Dover and New Philadelphia, Ohio. “But our community needs all the smiles we can give!”
A third-time participant, Baker intends to stick close to her past plan: offer in-store pickup at her two shops, as well as send a team of happiness ambassadors to downtown areas in each respective community, where they’ll surprise passersby with two bouquets — one to keep and one to pass on. “We will be wearing masks and using hand sanitizer,” she said. “And this year we will be using pre-packed bouquets instead of wrapping them ourselves.”
Read more at the Society of American Florists (Katie Vincent)