The Memorial Day Flowers Foundation honors those who’ve bravely served our country with the help of private, public, and corporate sponsors that work with local organizers and volunteers placing roses and other flowers on grave sites across the United States for Memorial Day.
“The Memorial Day Flowers Foundation is truly an amazing cause! With every aspect of the flower industry coming together for one organization — breeders, growers, importers, distributors, truckers, florists, etc — it really is something special,” said Ryan Black, marketing director of Jet Fresh Flower Distributors.
Jet Fresh Flowers has been a supporter of the Memorial Day Flowers Foundation since 2012 by contributing over 10,000 roses and flowers each year for Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery. For the past two years, Jet Fresh has sent employees to Washington D.C. to help volunteer distributing flowers for this important cause, and they’ll return again in 2017.
“I am very proud that my family’s business and I can continue to be part of this incredible organization and watch it grow larger each year,” said Black.
Jet Fresh’s marketing director, Ryan Black serves on the foundation’s advisory board, and also captures footage, as well as films and edits videos for MemorialDayFlowers.org.
“As I continue to document these events, I’m able to form a deeper appreciation for this cause and fully understand how emotional this day actually is. Everywhere you look, there’s an emotional story waiting to be told. It’s humbling to be able to give back and show our support,” said Black.
This year, the Memorial Day Flowers Foundation is working with RallyPoint.com, an online network of 1.1 million service members and veterans, to reach their ultimate goal at Arlington National Cemetery of honoring every one of the 300,000 grave sites with a rose.
RallyPoint and the Memorial Day Flowers Foundation recently launched the #FlowerOnEveryGrave campaign for Memorial Day 2017. Their focus is to encourage a national effort from service members, veterans and civilians, alike to visit their local cemetery on Memorial Day, and place at least one rose on a fallen service member’s grave, according to a press release. RallyPoint will work with its network to help coordinate volunteer efforts across the country, starting with Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Those unable to visit a cemetery on Memorial Day can donate to help the cornerstone effort of the #FlowerOnEveryGrave initiative.
An estimated 800 volunteers will place roses at 180,000 headstones at Arlington National Cemetery during Memorial Day weekend, May 27-29, according to Produce News. Arlington National Cemetery visitors will also receive single stem flowers to honor loved ones as well.
“Memorial Day is about remembering those who’ve paid the ultimate price,” said Dave Gowel, RallyPoint’s chief executive officer. “We can think of no better way to celebrate the holiday than to bring together service members, veterans, veteran service organizations, great companies and supportive Americans to honor the sacrifices of America’s fallen service members by laying a rose on a grave.” Gowel is also an Army veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to a press release.
Since 2011, the Memorial Day Flowers Foundation has been on the forefront of this worthy cause, vastly growing its efforts by garnering new sponsorships and volunteers. In 2016, the Memorial Day Flowers Foundation made 240,000 floral tributes in 8 national cemeteries with the help of 191 retailers across the United States. And in Arlington National Cemetery alone, the foundation coordinated 500 volunteers which handed out and placed 140,000 roses and other flowers on individual headstones, according to Produce News.
“We’re excited to partner with RallyPoint to lay a rose on every single grave at Arlington National Cemetery for Memorial Day,” said Johan Sohn, director of the Memorial Day Flowers Foundation. “Our team has done an incredible job of raising funds and awareness for this great cause over the past few years, and RallyPoint’s new #FlowerOnEveryGrave campaign will help scale this effort and attract more national attention.”
Check out Ryan’s footage for the Memorial Day Flowers Foundation in 2016. Watch how different organizations involved in the flower industry come together each year to support this worthy cause.
Source: Jet Fresh Flower Distributors