It Started with Orchids

First Volunteer Event Recap

Seacrest students share creativity, compassion, and community impact through flowers

This week, reBloom Collective hosted its very first volunteer event — a beautiful collaboration between the Seacrest Builders Club (grades 6–8) and Ms. Ferretti’s 6th Grade Art Class, bringing together over 20 student volunteersfor a hands-on lesson in creativity, care, and community service.

Thanks to the generosity of our floral partners, this event became something truly extraordinary. The Loren Project, the luxury florist behind many of the Ritz-Carlton’s floral installations, donated $10,000 worth of purple phalaenopsis orchids. Heidi and Holly of Heath Christmas Trees enthusiastically contributed fragrant evergreens and seasonal cuttings. Under the guidance of Erin Williams, founder of reBloom Collective, students learned how to process blooms, design small arrangements, troubleshoot transportation challenges, and work together in a real floral workflow. Together, they created:

• Over 15 Teacher appreciation bouquets

• 28 arrangements for oncology patients at NCH Downtown

• 20 bedside bouquets for Avow Hospice

• 2 Larger arrangements for hospice family and bereavement rooms

Each bouquet included a handwritten note from the students — many thoughtful, some joyful, even a few written in French for their French teacher — all expressing kindness to someone who may need it most.

Throughout the day, students discovered not just how to handle delicate flowers, but how small acts of beauty can uplift an entire community. The joy of giving was unmistakable, and the impact was felt immediately by teachers, nurses, patients, and families alike.

This was a wonderful beginning for reBloom’s volunteer programming, and we are excited to continue growing, learning, and spreading kindness — one bouquet at a time.