Murder, sex and greed were on the menu for the 200-plus attendees of AFE's annual fundraising dinner, held in conjunction with the Society of American Florists' Annual Convention in Phoenix.
In the animated eye-opening awareness video that debuted at the dinner, murder, sex and greed describe solutions AFE-funded research has unearthed, from controling and eliminating pests to solving breeding and genetic issues.
"‘Murder', ‘sex' and ‘greed' are not words normally associated with our industry – until now, and for good reason," Charles Kremp, AFE Trustee and Public Relations Committee Chairman, said.
This new video takes a bold and shocking approach to reach the industry and explain how important the Endowment is to advancing floriculture for all industry segments.
AFE Development Chairman Tom Butler announced five new undesignated named funds-including The FTD Fund, now AFE's second largest named fund. Undesignated funds allow AFE to use donations where they are most needed and can be created with a pledge or donation of $25,000 or more. The new undesignated funds are…
- The FTD Fund – $450,000
- The Ecke Family Fund – $275,00
- The Mellano & Company Fund – $100,000
- The Olive Hill Greenhouses Fund – $75,000
- The Sunlet Nursery, Inc. Fund – $25,000
Also recognized for reaching new giving levels:
Bachman's and the Bachman Families
Mellano & Company
The Platinum Club (more than $100,000 in giving)Altman Family
The Diamond Club (more than $75,000 in giving)Berwick Offray LLC
The Gold Club (more than $50,000 in giving)Candle Artisans, Inc.
The Builder Club (more than $25,000 in giving)DeJong Greenhouses
The Benefactor Club (more than $20,000 in giving)Golden Flowers
ProFlowers
The Patron Club (more than $15,000 in giving)Phoenix Flower Shops
Billy Heroman's Flowerland
Dramm Corporation
The Founder Club (more than $10,000 in giving)
"The bottom line is that the industry needs support to advance and prosper – every donation, small or large, continues to give," Butler said.
Chairman Paul Bachman reported AFE is funding more than $400,000 this year in scientific research, grants and scholarships, including three new scholarships: The American Florists Exchange Scholarship, the Julio and Sarah Armellini Scholarship and the Richard T. Meister Scholarship. In total, AFE now awards 23 different scholarships annually, ranging from $500 to $5,000.
AFE also announced the recent launch of the Floriculture InfoSearch Library, funded by AFE with North Carolina State University, is a powerful search engine for convenient and comprehensive access to floriculture information dating back to the early-1800s. From just Sept. 1 to Sept. 17, the website had 56,230 hits and 1,558 unique visitors.
Results were released from the Floral Marketing Research Fund's (FMRF) new study on Purchasing Barriers for Non-Flower Buyers, made possible largely by a $600,000 donation in January from the Flower Promotion Organization (FPO). To access the study or others, like a social media guide or study about flowers as gifts, create an account online for free.
Additional photos from the dinner are available on the AFE Facebook, Google+ or by contacting AFE Communications Specialist Suzanna McCloskey.
Make an online donation today and help the Endowment continue to support the industry!
Source: American Floral Endowment
