Submitted photo

Cheryl Smith of Wheelhouse RV, Floral, Gifts & More (left) hands a basket of flowers to Harney County Hospice volunteer Crystal Scott.

Today (Wednesday, Oct. 19), Wheelhouse RV, Floral, Gifts & More will join dozens of floral-industry businesses nationwide to surprise unsuspecting passersby with two free flower bouquets each — one to keep and one to give to a friend, family member, colleague, or even a stranger.

This random acts of kindness effort, called Petal It Forward, was organized by the Society of American Florists (SAF), of which Wheelhouse RV, Floral, Gifts & More is a member. This effort, which is designed to help people start their day with more smiles and less stress, illustrates research from the University of North Florida that shows living with flowers reduces stress.

“Petal It Forward is the floral industry’s way of giving back,” Elizabeth Daly, SAF’s manager of marketing and communications, said.

Daly noted that the effort was purposefully planned for a Wednesday to reduce the mid-week slump.

Cheryl Smith of Wheelhouse wanted to be a part of the mood-boosting effort and make a difference in the community.

“Wheelhouse has been doing ‘The Petal Project’ with Harney County Hospice for over two years now, and this Petal It Forward is just another part of it,” Smith said.

Smith donates flowers to Harney County Hospice every week. Volunteer Crystal Scott picks the flowers up and arranges them into bouquets for hospice patients.

Smith also donates flowers arrangements to Harney Hub (formerly called the Senior Center) each week. These arrangements are put on the table at the cafe for everyone to enjoy.

“Through the positive effects of flowers, we hope to make someone’s day brighter and provide a much-needed moment of calm amidst the hectic pace of life,” Smith said.

The research finding on flowers and stress relief, and the need for mood-boosting gestures, seems timely. In July 2022, a survey by Wakefield Research showed that nearly two-thirds of Americans experience stress weekly, and one-third reported feeling stressed daily. One-quarter of women reported feeling stress multiple times a day.

Smith says the original idea behind Petal It Forward’s ‘keep one, share one’ concept (which started in 2015) came after looking at statistics showing that most people reported that receiving flowers makes them happy, but giving flowers makes them even happier.

“We want to give people the chance to experience both,” Smith said. “I started Wheelhouse Floral because I wanted to be able to share this joy. When Harney County Hospice asked me to become a part of the Petal Project for their patients, it was a perfect way to do this. In August, I came up with the idea to expand the Petal Project to include weekly table flowers at the Harney Hub’s dining cafe.”

Located at 1510 Hines Boulevard in Burns, Wheelhouse is an eclectic store featuring a full-service floral shop and large selection of RV parts and supplies, as well as unique antiques and gifts. Call Cheryl Smith at 541-413-1523 for more information.