The Society of American Florists has asked the Tim Tebow Foundation to remove the negative references to flowers in its Prom With A Purpose efforts.
An effort to raise money for teens with special needs has the floral industry asking a nonprofit headed by a popular athlete to reconsider its well-intentioned approach to philanthropy.
“In the spirit of giving, prom-goers are encouraged to go #BeyondTheRoses and give up their corsage or boutonniere for an official Prom With A Purpose wristband,” reads a Tim Tebow Foundation (TTF) email to a high school principal in upstate New York. The organization’s website asks prom-goers to: “Simply give up your corsage and go #BeyondtheRoses.”
As a watchdog for the industry, the Society of American Florists has asked the foundation to remove the negative references to flowers in its efforts.
Prom With A Purpose is a fundraiser for high schools to use their prom to benefit TTF’s Night to Shine, which provides a prom experience for people with special needs ages 14 and older. The annual event is held the weekend before Valentine’s Day.
In an email to the TTF, SAF wrote:
“Florists are concerned when their products are negatively singled out. They understand that Prom With a Purpose is a worthy cause but hopes you will eliminate the reference to flowers in your fundraising efforts.
As you know, prom is a major rite of passage for teens. The wearing of corsages and boutonnières plays a big and memorable role in setting the mood for the celebration, and adds aesthetic beauty to prom attire for pictures and memories of the night. In fact, the images on your website — featuring prom-goers that benefit from your foundation’s efforts — showcase boutonnieres and corsages as part of their prom attire.
It is important to note that a behavioral study from Rutgers University shows that flowers have an immediate impact on happiness and increase life satisfaction and enjoyment. The beauty of flowers is that the good feelings elicited last far beyond the flowers themselves. Almost everyone can remember the last time they received flowers. These are just a few of the reasons why corsages and boutonnières have long been part of the tradition of prom.
Rather than promoting your cause at the expense of local floral businesses, why not promote your wristbands for students to wear during the whole spring prom season, rather than just prom night? Why do they need to make the choice between supporting a great cause or completing their first formal occasion with floral accents to their attire?
In addition to reaching out to schools, have you ever considered reaching out to local florists to ask them to help promote your cause and sell wristbands along with the corsages and boutonnieres that they sell? They are working directly with prom-goers and their parents, so have a direct line to your target audiences.
On behalf of the floral industry, SAF hopes you will reconsider the promotional direction of your campaign and remove the negative, unwarranted references to flowers in your efforts.”
At press time, SAF had not received a response from TTF.
In 2017, 375 churches in all 50 states and 11 countries hosted Night to Shine events. Country group Rascal Flatts’ song “Our Night to Shine” is based on the TTF program.
To report harmful floral publicity, contact SAF’s Jenny Scala at jscala@safnow.org.
