Founded in July of 2003, the popular website MySpace.com celebrated three years of business in 2006. That's a great accomplishment, but Adelaide's Florists and Decorators in La Jolla, California has them topped; they celebrated an astounding 70 years in business with a huge open-house that doubled as a charity event benefiting the local Alzheimer's chapter.
Adelaide's has been holding an open house annually for many years, but in 2006 owner Gina Phillips decided to use the event as a means to contribute to a charitable foundation close to her heart. Last year Phillips' father, Harry W. Phillips, Jr., AAF, (the shop is named for his mother, Adelaide, who started the business 70 years ago) made the decision to retire due to the onset of Alzheimer's. In his honor, Gina Phillips donated 10 percent of the event's sales to the Alzheimer's association.
Over the years some surrounding businesses have piggybacked on Adelaide's annual open house, so this year Phillips approached the nine participating businesses and asked that they too donate some of their earnings to local charities. Phillips said, "This year I approached each merchant and told them that we were going to add a twist." She went on to say that only those businesses who agreed to make donations to local charities would be eligible for participation in the open house-every single one of them agreed!
The event was a booming success. Adelaide's was able to donate $2,000 to the Alzheimer's association, and their willingness to give inspired a mysterious philanthropist to donate $50,000 in honor of Harry Phillips, Jr. The generous donation was earmarked for assisting in payment of respite care for those people who cannot pay for it on their own. Adelaide's also made a donation bowl and informational pieces available to their customers who gave amounts ranging from $100 to $1,000.
It's really not surprising to hear that the shop itself as well as its customers would be willing to give so generously to a charity. In a recent study titled The Home Ecology of Flowers conducted for the Society of American Florists researchers found that the presence of flowers increases feelings of compassion. Perhaps one day MySpace.com will one day celebrate 70 years of business in such a generous manner-perhaps changing their graphics to include more flowers will do the trick?
Copyright: Copyright © 2007-2008 Wesley Berry, AAF
About the Author:| Wesley Berry is member of the American Academy of Floriculture (AAF) and President of Wesley Berry Flowers, a successful multi-million dollar floral business that was established in 1946. He also works with funeral-homes.net to provide useful information about funeral homes across the nation. He has been recognized by florists nationwide as a leader in the flower business. Visit Wesley Berry Flowers on the web at www.800wesleys.com
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