Event Spotlight: Massey in Bloom
If you read As Told Over Brunch often, you likely know that we’re obsessed with brunch and Richmond Brunch Weekend. From the connections we made during that first year scramble of brunch weekend, both Cazey and I are now on the Massey Alliance, which is the young professional board of the VCU Massey Cancer Center.
Every board member is encouraged to do a fundraiser, and I wanted mine to be unique. Month ago, my friend raved about a flower arranging class she went to at Bridget Beari Home Store. She couldn’t stop talking about the beautiful store, informative class, beautiful flowers and awesome workshop leader.
Just like in the cartoons, a light bulb went off over my head. A flower arranging workshop would be a fun fundraiser (aka fun-draiser). I immediately reached out to Bridget Beari to see if they had any interest in working with me, to which they quickly said they’d be happy to help.
The Flowers from Strange’s Florist
I wanted to keep the class low-cost for attendees, but also wanted all the proceeds to go to cancer research and not to cover overhead costs. Thankfully, the amazing people at Strange’s were able to donate over 400 stems to our class! When I picked up the flowers, I was blown away by how absolutely beautiful all the flowers were. They provided greens and a multitude of types and colors of flowers so that every person got a unique and colorful bouquet.
The Food from Paw Paw’s
Next up, we needed to get the food squared away. Paw Paw’s Wholesome Homemade Dog Treats was happy to provide chicken biscuits, ham biscuits, stuff strawberries, almond bars and two refreshing beverage options.
On top of that, Paw Paw’s donated an amazing basket of dog treats that attendees had the opportunity to win. One lucky participant went home with over $60 worth of homemade, wholesome dog treats for their pooch!
Once we had settled our location, flowers and food, we had to fill the class. On the first day of sign-ups, 19 of the 20 spots in the workshop were filled. I was shocked and humbled by how many people wanted to participate. By the evening, we were able to accommodate 25 people.
Flower Arranging Workshop at Bridget Beari Home Store
The class consisted of one hour lesson on flowers, upkeep and arranging, and then time to get some hands-on practice. Together, within three hours, 25 people were able to raise nearly $600 for cancer research. With the generous donations from Stranges, Paw Paw’s and Bridget Beari, 100 percent of those funds raised go toward helping progress research and treatment at VCU Massey Cancer Center.
Thank you!!
Thank you to everyone who came out to the event, to those businesses who lent a helping hand in making the event possible and to Cazey who graciously came to help take all these pictures. I am humbled by how the event went, and am looking forward to another successful workshop in the future!
If you missed the workshop but would like to make a contribution to cancer research, you are always welcome to donate online at any time!