{"id":57676,"date":"2024-09-10T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-10T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=57676"},"modified":"2024-09-10T15:14:52","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T19:14:52","slug":"emu-grads-brighten-lives-through-blooms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2024\/emu-grads-brighten-lives-through-blooms\/","title":{"rendered":"EMU grads brighten lives through blooms"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rebecca Shelly, left, and Laura Ruth deliver bouquets of repurposed flowers to residents of Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community in May.<\/strong> (Friendly City Florals)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Laura Ruth \u201909 <\/strong>and Rebecca Shelly \u201914<\/strong> are spreading joy and kindness through the power of flowers, while making a positive impact on the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In March, the EMU alums launched Friendly City Florals<\/a>, a nonprofit in Harrisonburg, Virginia, that gives event flowers another life by refreshing them and donating them to people in need. The dahlia-loving duo collects locally grown flowers and used floral arrangements from weddings, funerals and other events, repurposes them into new bouquets, and delivers them to nursing homes, hospitals, schools, counseling centers and other organizations in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea for Friendly City Florals started late last year. When Ruth\u2019s dad passed away in December, Shelly\u2014who had lost her own father just a few years prior\u2014was there to support her. The two stay-at-home moms began talking about all the bouquets they received, and realized there was a way to reuse the flowers to brighten someone else\u2019s day.<\/p>\n\n\n

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When they\u2019re not busy collecting donated flowers and refreshing bouquets, Laura Ruth and Rebecca Shelly attend garden tours together and text each other about flowers (dahlias are their favorite). \u201cWe joke that dahlias are like Pokemon cards for gardeners because there are some really rare ones,\u201d Shelly said. \u201cIt\u2019s just so much fun, you want to collect them all.\u201d<\/strong> (Photo by The Commoneer)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

By reusing flowers that would otherwise be tossed into the trash, Friendly City Florals is reducing the environmental impact from events and diverting a significant amount of floral waste from landfills. According to The Green Bride Guide<\/a><\/em>, a staggering 400 pounds of trash and 63 tons of carbon dioxide emissions are created at the average wedding. Friendly City Florals reuses all parts of donated floral arrangements, including the flowers, floral foam, wire, vases and ribbons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shelly, who graduated from EMU with a psychology degree, has worked in various segments of the wedding industry for the past 10 years and seen firsthand the amount of floral waste that can result from weddings. \u201cWe want to change the narrative of wedding waste, especially with flowers,\u201d she said. \u201cWe would love to help people rethink that part of planning their big day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruth, who graduated from EMU with a degree in social work, is a licensed clinical social worker and serves on the board of The Collins Center<\/a>. She said she\u2019s seen the positive effect that their bouquets can have on someone\u2019s mental health and well-being. \u201cThey bring so much joy and are so uplifting for people,\u201d she said. \u201cIt feels so good to be a little part of that happiness in their day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shelly said the EMU and Harrisonburg communities have played such a major part in their lives that \u201cit feels special to be able to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n
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Friendly City Florals works hand-in-hand with Harrisonburg-area schools, health care, hospice, senior resident and social service communities.<\/strong> (Photo by The Commoneer)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Part of a movement\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Both Ruth and Shelly have roots that run deep into the EMU soil. Each of them met their husbands (Ben ’09<\/strong> and Isaac ’09<\/strong>) on campus and come from families with plenty of alumni. Shelly\u2019s sister and Ruth\u2019s two siblings graduated from EMU. Shelly\u2019s mom, Lisa Crist<\/strong>, worked at EMU for 37 years, while both of Ruth\u2019s parents are alumni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At EMU, Ruth and Shelly found their roar. They said their passion for sustainability and for building community was jump-started while students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shelly worked at the dining hall during her first and second years at EMU and said that seeing people compost their food and napkins helped remind her of \u201cthe little instances throughout your day that you can find to be sustainable.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be all or nothing,\u201d Shelly said. \u201cThe little bits add up along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruth said her passion for giving back was shaped by her experiences helping organize Take Back the Night at EMU in 2009, interning at the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Services Board, and volunteering at nonprofits such as Patchwork Pantry and Mercy House during her time at EMU. \u201cThese formative experiences sparked my dedication to serving our community and driving meaningful change,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n
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Flower donations to the nonprofit are tax-deductible.<\/strong> (Photo by Molly Suzanne Co.)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Friendly City Florals is sponsored by local businesses and grassroots donors, and receives help from many friends, family and community members who volunteer their time and share their expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nonprofit has been featured on the \u201cCNN 5 Good Things\u201d<\/a> podcast, in a widely shared video from climate educator Jacob Simon<\/a>, and in The Washington Post<\/a>. Ruth and Shelly are in touch with a couple daytime talk shows about sharing their story. They look forward to seeing a shout-out to the nonprofit in Reader\u2019s Digest<\/em> magazine in its February issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruth said people from all over the country have contacted them asking how they can help out in their own communities. \u201cIt\u2019s heartwarming to know we\u2019re inspiring others to be part of a movement to recycle, reuse, and spread joy and kindness,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about Friendly City Florals and find out ways to get involved, visit: friendlycityflorals.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Laura Ruth \u201909 and Rebecca Shelly \u201914 are spreading joy and kindness through the power of flowers, while making a positive impact on the planet. In March, the EMU alums ... read more about EMU grads brighten lives through blooms<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":57660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,17562,5708],"tags":[5753,18200,18198,18199,17224],"feature":[17427,17426,17241,17422],"class_list":["post-57676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-digest","category-sustainability","tag-alumni","tag-friendly-city-florals","tag-laura-ruth","tag-rebecca-shelly","tag-sustainability","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature"],"yoast_head":"\nEMU grads brighten lives through blooms - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2024\/emu-grads-brighten-lives-through-blooms\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"EMU grads brighten lives through blooms - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Laura Ruth \u201909 and Rebecca Shelly \u201914 are spreading joy and kindness through the power of flowers, while making a positive impact on the planet. 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