Fresh flowers, friendly faces

COEUR d'ALENE — One gesture of kindness — one surprise bouquet of flowers, one simple rose — can change a person's whole day.

When 1,412 dozen roses go out into the community, that's a whole lot of brightened days.

“That’s what flowers do, right? They bring sunshine to any room,” Rotary Club of Coeur d'Alene Evening member Judy Tebow said Friday morning. "It doesn’t matter who you are. Unless you’re allergic to flowers, everybody loves flowers. It brings a little light, sunshine and happiness."

Bouquets of vibrant red, pink, orange and yellow roses were delivered to friends, wives, moms, co-workers and complete strangers during the Coeur d'Alene Rotary Club's annual Rose Sale distribution day.

The Hagadone Event Center hummed with activity as Rotarians directed traffic and loaded boxes of flowers into vehicles to send the roses out into the world.

Tebow, a longtime Rotarian, said she planned to deliver roses to friends and business colleagues.

“Some are going home tonight to surprise their wives,” she said. “They’re gorgeous roses. I think it’s going to be a really good day.”

Dozens of the fragrant dozens were bought by generous hearts to be delivered to charitable organizations to share the joy with nonprofit staff members and the people they serve.

Kelli Lunceford, housing director for St. Vincent de Paul of North Idaho, said this gesture of roses makes the shelter's tenants happy every year.

“They’re going to shelter guests, elderly guests, people that have disabilities, mental illness. We’re just going to make their day,” she said. "It's a surprise. They don’t know."

Her colleague, St. Vincent de Paul social service coordinator Kelley Wilwert, said last year, some shelter guests who received roses were taken aback.

"They’re like, ‘That’s for me?’ and I’m like, ‘Yes, you’re special! Of course, it’s for you,'" Wilwert said. "We’re going to warm some hearts today.”

She has even shared the Rotary rose love during random encounters. One year, Wilwert said the mail carrier pulled up as she was pondering to whom she would give the last two roses she had left to distribute.

“I handed her the last two roses and she started to cry,” Wilwert said. “She said to me, 'You have no idea, I’ve been having such a bad day. That has totally made my whole day.'"

Rotary Rose Sale Chair Kim Edmondson said this year's Rose Sale met its goals, with a little help from Coeur d'Alene Evening Rotary friends who bought 50 dozen roses.

“Ultimately we ended up thriving,” she said. "The big thing is, we met our goal. We’re going to be at $50,000, just a hair over this year. That’s our big goal number for grants and scholarships we give out in the community.”

Coeur d'Alene Rotary Club annually hosts the Rose Sale to not only brighten and beautify North Idaho for a day but to support local projects, causes and nonprofits. This was year 33 for the sale.

“It’s so fun, but it’s also great to get this day behind us,” Edmondson said with a laugh. “There’s a lot that goes on to get it all ready."