KC Cares: Unexpected Blooms pulls petals together for people in need

Katie Garrity of Overland Park and Alicia Keeney of Kansas City work on flower arrangements for Unexpected Blooms. // Photo by Beth Lipoff

Recycling to brighten someone’s day is the core idea behind Unexpected Blooms. The group collects flowers from all kinds of events—corporate dinners, weddings, galas—and repackages them into small arrangements.

Those arrangements go to rehab hospitals, hospices, and senior living communities.

“We’re target people who are not able to get out and about,” says A.J. Miller, volunteer chief operations officer.

Usually, the recipients are within a 10-15 minute drive from the workshops. Right now, there are 44 on the list, but that’s always changing.

“We see smiles every time we deliver. I feel like even the volunteers go out happier than they did coming in,” Miller says.

Susan Reynolds of Overland Park works on flower arrangements at the Unexpected Blooms workshop housed at Village Presbyterian Church. // Photo by Beth Lipoff

Volunteers work together in south Overland Park and in Kansas City whenever they get a haul of flowers from one or more events. No one gets paid at Unexpected Blooms, and it doesn’t charge for any services.

It works like this: Volunteers take the larger flower arrangements, break them down into individual stems, and then make completely new arrangements in small vases. That’s a lot easier if the flowers have at least a 6-inch stem.

Ward Parkway Presbyterian Church and Village Presbyterian Church donate the workshop space.

Previous flower-arranging skills aren’t necessary, though it does give volunteers some tips and occasionally offers classes. Volunteers can also do pick-ups or drop-offs if arranging isn’t their thing. Right now, it’s actually in need of someone to revamp the Unexpected Blooms website.

Miller says it’s best to have three to four weeks’ notice of an event, but sometimes they can pull enough volunteers together quicker than that.

Susan Reynolds of Overland Park works on flower arrangements at the Unexpected Blooms workshop housed at Village Presbyterian Church. // Photo by Beth Lipoff

“It’s surprising to realize how many flowers would go in the trash if we were not around. When we do have to deny somebody who wants to donate to us, maybe because we don’t have enough staff, you’d be surprised how disappointed they are,” she says.

It all started in 2016 when a husband and wife funeral director and florist team saw how many perfectly usable flowers were thrown away at the end of events.

Keeping with the recycling theme, the group also accepts vase donations and collects its own vases after the recipient has had the Unexpected Blooms arrangement for 10 days.

Things got stalled for a couple of years with the pandemic because large events just weren’t happening, but the group has been re-establishing itself. In 2023, they delivered 4,094 bouquets. Overall, 19,062 have brightened people’s spirits since the nonprofit began.

Alicia Keeney of Kansas City adds some flowers to an arrangement while volunteering for Unexpected Blooms. // Photo by Beth Lipoff

Some of the bouquets go to individuals, like a hospice patient stuck in one room. Others go on display in common areas so more people can enjoy them.

Llinos Leisy, community events coordinator at St. Luke’s Hospice, sees the bouquets’ impact firsthand.

“People’s lives, they get very diminished when they’re in one room, and they get to appreciate some of the simplest delights of life that other people just take for granted,” Leisy says. “Someone walking through the door holding a beautiful arrangement of flowers can just brighten their day and their spirits and give them something to gaze at.”

What she was able to do for one hospice patient with help from Unexpected Blooms mainly sticks out to her.

Breanna O’Brien of Roeland Park adds some hyacinths to an arrangement while volunteering for Unexpected Blooms. // Photo by Beth Lipoff

“When we had a very young patient, and it was her 31st birthday, and we did everything we could as a staff to make it a very special day, knowing it was her last birthday on Earth. We had just had some flowers delivered. We made sure her room was full of flowers,” she says.

She’s seen the effect of the bouquets over and over again.

“It’s so meaningful for the families, the patients, and our staff. It brightens the place up. It brings beauty and joy. We are eternally grateful and have loved this relationship that’s been going on for several years,” Leisy says.

For more information about volunteering for or donating to Unexpected Blooms, visit unexpectedblooms.org