Students at Central Lake College in Brainerd, Minnesota, at last year’s Petal It Forward event. Photo courtesy of Katie Philipsek.
Floral and agricultural students are among those planning to spread flower cheer during Petal It Forward, the Society of American Florists’ annual goodwill initiative. In doing so they’ll cultivate a spirit of giving back to the community and learn about the floral industry, which is eager to tap young talent.
“Floral design is a growing industry and I feel it’s important to teach students the importance of serving and taking time out of the day to help someone else to have a little light in their day,” says Rocio Martinez, an agricultural teacher at Mineola High School in northeast Texas.
During the Oct. 20 event students will hand out two bouquets and urge the recipient to keep one and give the other one to someone else. SAF started the event in 2015 to spread the power of flowers. The idea has caught on with high school students— and college students — giving them hands-on floral industry experience.
Students in a horticultural club at Central Lake College in Brainerd, Minnesota, are preparing for the club’s second Petal It Forward, says Katie Philipsek, who leads the effort. Last year the club used its small activity budget to buy about 100 bouquets, which were quickly claimed despite the fact that there weren’t many people out because of the pandemic.
“Even though it was a ghost town, we gave away 100 bouquets in 10 minutes,” Philipsek says.
This year the club has bigger plans. Copper Creek Landscapes and Design in Nisswa, Minnesota has agreed to pay for at least 600 bouquets, with the stems sourced from Len Busch Roses. Copper Creek employees will also help with the distribution, Philipsek says. The corporate sponsorship will allow the club to spread out around Brainerd to nursing homes, downtown shops, the local veterans center and elsewhere.
Students at Mineola High School have been fundraising to pay for the cost of Petal It Forward flowers, Martinez says. The floral design students sell a floral subscription service that helps pay for various activities, and they have a big homecoming mum sale.
With more than 100 floral design students, Martinez says the students will spread out among the district’s four schools to distribute carnations in a sleeve with ribbon. A handwritten, motivational note will accompany the flowers, which will be distributed to people in car lines at the schools. Some people will receive two bouquets with encouragement to pay it forward by gifting the second to someone else, Martinez says.
The process of planning, assembling, and delivering flowers at mass production is a valuable lesson for her students, Martinez says. But it’s also fun to see the simple joy flowers, and creativity, can bring to recipients.
“It is part of the business management curriculum,” she says. “But it is also one of those steppingstones for falling more in love with the industry.”
Mineola isn’t the only Texas high school agricultural program using Petal It Forward as a learning opportunity. At Lindale High School teacher Dylan Bacon will use his instructional budget to help his students design, prepare and distribute flowers to teachers and staff at the school.
The project is also another opportunity for students to practice the life skills Bacon aims to impart on them — skills that will serve them in the floral industry or elsewhere. That includes working on communication skills, talking to clients, marketing, set prices, and calculate sales tax, he says.
There is a broader lesson too, Bacon says.
“Sometimes it’s just worthwhile making people happy, just doing something small to make someone’s day,” he says. “We have the opportunity to do this, so let’s take our resources and let’s try and make someone happy.”
Philipsek, who graduates in the spring and wants to start her own garden center, says she will continue to participate in Petal It Forward, either by returning to help at Central Lake College as an alum or hopefully, one day, using her own crops.
“It takes a while to start from seed and get the right environment, but we will get there,” she says.
Meanwhile, the experiences she’s had collaborating and seeking support from others in the industry has shown her how supportive a community it can be.
“We are students just getting involved, and the exposure to floral industry is invaluable,” Philipsek says.
For more information about Petal It Forward and to register, click here.
Seed Your Future, a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring people to pursue careers in horticulture, has resources for students and teachers. Click here to learn more.
Sarah Sampson is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.
