At the conclusion of the 61st annual Colorado Garden and Home Show 24 Denver Area Rotary Clubs came together and with the help of several Boy Scout Troops and the Regis Jesuit football team, gathered all of the flowering plants that were in good shape. The purpose of this effort was to place these flowers in the hands of seniors throughout the greater Denver area, with a focus on 60 local senior living facilities. This year 6741 flowers were gathered and distributed…creating 6741 huge, happy smiles.
In Broomfield, the Evening Rotary Club distributed 256 flowering plants to the residents of Maryel Manor, Salvation Army’s Silver Crest, Broomfield Skilled Nursing Facility, CIA (Connections in Art), the Broomfield Senior Center, and Meals-on-Wheels. The Morning Rotary Club distributed 224 plants to the Lutheran Home in Arvada, Independent Living, Sunrise Assisted Living, Villagio Senior Living, and three Balfour Facilities.
The Rotary Club was told that at one of the facilities a 97 year-old gentleman has been planting and nurturing the flowers that we deliver in the residence home’s garden in the Spring for well over a decade and that’s what keeps him going. Another flower recipient sent photos of the flower that she received a year ago sprouting again this year…much to her delight!
Pictured above, from left to right, are Gail Lukens, Paul Derda, Jane Doak, Sally Bullers, Pete Crouse, Monique Gray, Jill Riggin, Howard Shuster, Judy Shuster, Margretta Perry, Ruth Mills, and Nickie Barbee of CIA (Connections in Art).
The Rotary Club is looking for more sites that would be interested in receiving flowers for seniors next year at the conclusion of the Colorado Garden and Home Show. If you know of such a place, please contact Gerry Case, Rotarian, at (303) 618-0104.
For the last 9 years, I have served as the Volunteer Coordinator for the Frank Shorter RACE4Kids’ Health Event that benefits Healthy Learning Paths. Healthy Learning Paths teaches skills for mental, physical, and emotional fitness through “Healthy Learning Kids”, an evidence-based health education curriculum that is taught in our local schools. (See About 
