At In Bloom Florist, John and Sally Kobylinski plan to donate “all funeral floral arrangements for the immediate families of the victims lost during the Pulse shooting.” The Kobylinskis are compiling a “resource list” of industry partners to help them in this effort. For more information, email janessag@inbloomflorist.com.
As people in Orlando — and around the country — struggle to come to grips with the devastating mass shooting at Pulse night club, local florists are playing a quiet but important role in the grieving process.
At In Bloom Florist, John and Sally Kobylinski will donate “all funeral floral arrangements for the immediate families of the victims.”
“Please share this with the families and let them know we are here to support them however we can <3#LoveWins #OrlandoUnited #PrayForOrlando,” wrote the pair on Facebook.
The Kobylinskis are compiling a “resource list” of industry partners to help them in this effort; for more information or to be added to that list, email janessag@inbloomflorist.com.
“We want to be clear that we are not looking to promote our business but merely to reach out to the families to support their loss in this tragic event and to soften financial burden on these families,” Sally told the Orlando Sentinel.
The same story noted that other area businesses, including funeral homes, also are donating services and products to the family.
On Monday, listeners of NPR’s “All Things Considered” got a momentary reprieve from the tremendous heartache of the week’s news when co-host Ari Shapiro interviewed local residents Jackie Kendall and Laura Hooks. The women were walking through the parking lot of Pulse, putting a carnation and a card that read “We love you” on the windshield of every car.
“We realized that these were cars of victims’ families coming to hear news about their loved one they may have lost today,” Hooks said. “So we were just feeling for them and wanted to put a little token on their car to let them know that they’re loved and aren’t alone and Orlando grieves with them.”
Look for more on the industry’s response to the tragedy in upcoming issues of E-Brief and Floral Management.
Last year, after the mass shooting at a historic church in Charleston, South Carolina, Manny Gonzales of Tiger Lily Florist shared his thoughts on the role of florists in communities struck by tragedy. Read more.
