chicago local business Archives - Ashland Addison Florist Company

H.O.M.E – Flower Donations for Seniors

Guest Post – Written by Brittany Norment from H.O.M.E

It would be an understatement to say that 2020 has been a stressful year. This is perhaps most true of the senior residents of Housing Opportunities and Maintenance for the Elderly (H.O.M.E.), the only nonprofit in Chicago that provides affordable intergenerational housing and support services for seniors with low-incomes. In an effort to alleviate this common stress and bring a smile to our friends at H.O.M.E., we started preparing 78 bouquets for a flower donation.

In H.O.M.E. buildings seniors live in a family-like setting alongside younger adults and families with children. So, on one gloomy Tuesday in October, a small team of volunteers set out on a mission to deliver beautiful bouquets of flowers, generously donated by Ashland Addison Florist Company, to the door of every resident.

H.O.M.E. Volunteer prepares Flower Donation from Ashland Addison Florist

H.O.M.E. Flower Donation from Ashland Addison Florist

It’s incredible how a small gesture like an unexpected bouquet of flowers can brighten someone’s whole day. We cannot express how much H.O.M.E. appreciates community-minded businesses that think creatively about how to give back, like Ashland Addison Florist. With every bouquet delivered, kind words and smiles were exchanged. This provided an uncommon gift of connection & joy in this unfamiliar, “socially distanced” world we all currently live in.

On behalf of the entire H.O.M.E. Community, we are so grateful to Ashland Addison Florist for their generous and thoughtful donation, and our flower delivery volunteers for their help! Together, HOME is what we make of it.

Learn more about H.O.M.E., their mission, and how to get involved on their website!

It was fun to ask our team members what they think of when we say “Mom”. For me, the first word that pops up is patience. My mom has six children, and I’ve never seen her flip her lid of spilled milk or blink an eye when one of us called from college upset or in a parenting nightmare… she is calm. She is patient.

When I asked Justin for his thoughts, he said “Mom’s home cooking.” Momma Sheffield must have made some fine meals for the four Sheffield kids. We know around the shops that Bill was a really good cook, too!

But one of my favorite stories is right here in this shop. Zoe has been working at Ashland Addison Florist since she was a teenager! She loves flowers, creative design and has a place in her heart for our customers like no one else. She knows their names, their family members, their special occasions. She has cared for them over the phone through hard times and life’s celebrations. We are lucky enough to have Georgia, her daughter, join our team while she works on her Bachelor’s Degree at Chicago’s DePaul University. We get to see her impressive son, Anthony, as he prepares for West Point in just a few short weeks. We are entertained by her school-aged Luis as he stops by after school and shares his wealth of 1st grade knowledge.

Happy Mother's Day to all of our team members and customers - thanks to role models like Zoe who remind us what this holiday is about!

When I asked Georgia what she thought when I said, Mom, she listed:

Caring * Generous * Humble

Strong * Devoted * Optimistic * Leader

We couldn’t agree more with her description of Zoe. We are lucky to have Zoe and each of our team members who nurture their families, their partners, their friends, our customers and our communities!

Happy Mother’s Day to all of our team members and customers – thanks to role models like Zoe who remind us what this holiday is about!

Guest Post: H.O.M.E – Flower Donation for Seniors

We say Mom, you say….