Impact and Give Back

BLOOMS &

BY LIESEL SCHMIDT

Personal experience is often the greatest motivator, the greatest WHY behind a mission. For Leslie Presson, the experience of going through cancer and finding herself surrounded by love and support as she faced her battle was something that planted a seed in her—both literally and figuratively—for an idea that would, in much the same way, show others just how much they are loved.

After a diagnosis of breast cancer in the fall of 2019, Presson began a treatment course of 15 rounds of chemo that lasted nearly a year, knowing that, the more support and prayers she had, the better. Sharing her diagnosis with friends and family, Presson received a deluge of cards and gifts, as well as encouraging phone calls and text messages. But it was the flowers that would most impact her, later becoming the impetus for her outreach organization, HOPE Blooms. encouragement from someone!” Presson recalls. “Some were fresh flowers that a friend had cut from her yard, others were flowers that were picked up at the grocery store, and others were sent by family and friends and delivered by the wonderful local florists in Fairhope. There were several times when we just found flowers left at our front door! I can’t begin to describe the joy that these flowers—these gestures of encouragement—gave to me. I don’t think I ever really took these kind acts for granted, but I did start looking forward to getting them! They brought hope. Hope was something I needed to cling to. Each time I looked at the flowers, I was reminded that I was—and am—loved. Someone was thinking about me. I was not alone on this journey.

That feeling was one that Presson wanted to share, and so, as treatment came to an end, she began to feel the importance of using her journey to help others. “The memories of the flowers that I’d received kept popping up in my head and heart as big blessings not to forget,” she recalls. “Soon, I heard of a friend who was going through a tough life situation. Although I might typically send a card, my first thought was, Take her flowers! That was when HOPE Blooms begin to take root in my heart. I thought, Everyone who is going through something big in life needs flowers! I knew of something in Memphis where they were repurposing flowers after weddings or big events and taking them to people in nursing homes, hospitals, and people that could use some joy. After reading about them, I thought this was something we could do right here in our wonderful community of Fairhope!”

After much prayer, Presson enlisted the help of her friend, Dorothy Lagarde, and approached Wildflowers, a flower shop with whom she had previous connections, about forming a partnership. “Stephanie and Garrett have always been wonderful to work with,” Presson notes. “I went to Stephanie and asked if she would be interested in partnering with us so that we could repurpose their flowers after events and give them away. They were thrilled with the idea.”

And so, HOPE Blooms was officially created. “The name HOPE Blooms came from what I wanted the ministry to be,” says Presson. “To bring joy and hope in dark times. I want people to know that hope can grow and bloom during your toughest times in life.” Since launching in October 2020, HOPE Blooms has given away approximately 2,000 repurposed arrangements to recipients throughout the community, delivering messages of encouragement in the form of colorful blooms. A 501c3 organization, HOPE Blooms depends on donations and various fundraisers to fund the purchase of storage containers, printed cards given away with the arrangements, ribbon, and other supplies. Aside from funding, their greatest challenges so far have been logistical. “We would love it if wedding planners and brides would let us know when they plan their weddings so we can set up teams,” says Presson. “However, a lot of times it is at the last minute that they call to donate their flowers.

Having space to repurpose is also an issue we face. We have been repurposing in my house on Mondays, but we’ve really outgrown that! We’re looking for a space where we can store our jars and flower cooler and still have room to repurpose the arrangements.”

What HOPE Blooms accomplishes through its work is, of course, more than just delivering flowers. “It’s a community working together for the common good: to bring joy!” says Presson. “It brings so much joy to us to see the smiles on the faces of the recipients! There’s just joy all around, from the volunteers to the recipients. We’ve even heard from some of our recipients that they, in turn, have given flowers away after it made them feel so good. Giving begets giving.”

For more information on volunteering or donation needs, visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/HOPEbloomsAL/.

Christopher J. Bosarge, M.D.

Board Certified in Diagnostic & Interventional Radiology

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