BrightBridge Credit Union (BrightBridge) recently brought beauty and kindness to the community by hosting a series of bouquet-making events in partnership with the Power of Flowers Project, a nonprofit dedicated to sharing joy through flowers.
Founded in 2009, Power of Flowers repurposes donated flowers into bouquets and delivers them to seniors and veterans in local care facilities to “improve their quality of life, to reduce loneliness and depression, and to let them know they are valued.”
The credit union welcomed the Power of Flowers team for three “Kindness Connection Workshops” at its corporate offices in Lawrence, Waltham and Bridgewater. Volunteers from the nonprofit guided BrightBridge team members through creating floral arrangements using fresh flowers and greens. Then, 135 handcrafted bouquets were donated to local care facilities, including Methuen Village, CareOne at Wilmington, The German Home in Lawrence and Edgewood LifeCare Community in North Andover.
“Our team was excited to get hands-on and give back in such a meaningful and uplifting way,” said BrightBridge President & CEO John Howard. “It also brought our team members from many different locations together for a fun and collaborative evening. This partnership with Power of Flowers perfectly aligns with our mission to share optimism throughout our community!”
The effort was organized by the credit union’s Health & Wellness Club, a team-driven initiative dedicated to sharing wellness tips, discussing health-related topics and brainstorming creative ways to promote physical, mental and emotional wellness throughout the credit union.
Above: BrightBridge's Waltham team members show off their beautiful, handcrafted bouquets. Top of page: BrightBridge's HR department smiles with the bouquets created in the Lawrence corporate office. From left: Colleen Vivier, Elizabeth Diaz, Elisanta Torres and Tracy Mermet.
“Events like this help us come together as OneTeam for an incredible cause,” said BrightBridge Benefits Manager Victoria Monzon, who also leads the Health & Wellness Club and coordinated the Kindness Connection Workshop. “It encourages our colleagues to spend time with their teammates that they may not see every day while spreading kindness and joy to our community members who need it most. We were able to all take a break from our busy work day to relax, enjoy time together and give back. Thank you to the Power of Flowers team!”
”I can't thank you enough for coordinating the three Kindness Connection events for your employees,” said Michelle Silveira, executive director of the Power of Flowers Project. “I believe everyone had a great time and the bouquets were stunning! In fact, Ann, a resident of Methuen Village, phoned me this morning and stated ‘Thank you for the beautiful bouquets. They made so many people happy.’”
BrightBridge also supported local small businesses by catering each event with delicious food from CocoRay’s in Lawrence, Juanita’s Kitchen in Waltham and Casa Agave in Bridgewater.
The Power of Flowers Project regularly hosts Kindness Connection Workshops for businesses throughout the community. For more information about the Power of Flowers Project and getting involved, visit www.pofproject.org.
To learn more about BrightBridge’s community efforts, visit www.brightbridge.com/news.
