This fall, take part in a celebration half a century in the making when the American Floral Endowment (AFE) begins commemorating its 50th anniversary at the Society of American Florists’ Annual Convention this September, in Orlando, Fla.
Since 1961, AFE has raised more than $10 million through voluntary industry contributions, which in turn has allowed funding of $14 million toward research, and more than $300,000 in educational and scholarship opportunities.
At its 2010 Annual Fundraising Dinner on Sept. 22, AFE will recognize 50 years of funding unparalleled research and education, and will honor the thousands of florists, wholesalers, growers, suppliers and scientists who have worked tirelessly for decades to make the Endowment the industry’s premier research support organization.
“In the history of AFE, more than 5,000 individuals and organizations have contributed to AFE’s mission,” said AFE Chairman-Elect and Development Committee Chairman Tom Butler of Teleflora in Oklahoma City.
Gus De Hertogh, Ph.D., the Endowment’s research coordinator and a previous recipient of AFE funding, said the group currently helps support about a dozen projects a year — research that addresses a diverse range of topics from insect and disease management, plant breeding and genetics, production technology, production and post-production protocols, and consumer behavior. This research is conducted by top floricultural scientists from many top-notch universities, including Cornell University, The Ohio State University, the University of Florida, the University of California-Davis, Purdue University, North Carolina State University, Texas A & M University, and Michigan State University to name a few.
“By funding scientific research, scholarships and internships, the Endowment benefits the entire industry,” said Red Kennicott, AAF, Endowment chairman and CEO of Kennicott Brothers Company in Chicago. “AFE-funded scientific research helps growers produce higher quality products more efficiently and, ultimately, to deliver them to consumers through industry channels.”
The Endowment’s long-standing commitment to research also remains central to its mission today.
“The truth is that the industry at all levels benefits from the Endowment’s work,” said former AFE chairperson, Wanda Weder, AAF, senior executive vice president of the Highland Supply Corporation in Highland, Ill.
In fact, AFE supported research has tackled challenges specific to each industry segment by helping growers reduce production costs, meeting consumer demand for higher quality products, and increasing profitability throughout the distribution chain. In recent years, The Endowment also has made significant strides in making its research accessible to the industry, researchers and the general public. Results from more than 120 research projects are posted on the Endowment’s web site.
The Endowment’s commitment to education has also been a cornerstone of the group’s mission since its founding in 1961. In the past 50 years, AFE’s funding of scholarships and internships has been instrumental in attracting and retaining the future leaders of the floriculture industry. Today, AFE funds more than 20 scholarships, ranging from $500 to $4,000, and competitive awards are presented each year to some of the country’s top college students, including Natalie Thomas, a graduate of Kansas State University and a 2005 Vic and Margaret Ball intern. Echoing the experiences of many former interns, Thomas said her internship with The Sun Valley Group in Arcata, Calif., gave her the kind of real-world skills she couldn’t have learned from the classroom alone.
“(I learned) that what looks good on paper and in textbooks is not always practical in everyday situations where you have to think for yourself and learn from trial and error and first-hand experience,” Thomas said. “And (I learned) that it doesn’t matter how much you know if you aren’t able to effectively communicate to the people actually doing the work who often have no background in floriculture and may not even speak the same language as you.”
“The floral industry is no longer “your father’s flower business,” Kennicott said. “We all face changes – new competitors, tough economies — that impact our businesses, but we’re lucky to have an organization like AFE that’s ready to fund research that helps us all.”
The support is ongoing. Recent memorials have been established for Ernesto Velez, a longtime leader of the ASCOLFLORES and an AFE Trustee since 2004, and Will Carlson, Ph.D., professor emeritus of floriculture at Michigan State University.
Two of AFE’s largest donations established important educational opportunities for the industry’s future leaders. In 2008, TV producer, Lee Phillip Bell, donated $500,000 to AFE to establish the James and Helen Phillip Scholarship, honoring her parents who were retail florists. This scholarship provides tuition assistance to students pursuing a career in retail floral design and operations. In 1992, the Vic and Margaret Ball Intern Scholarship Program was established with an $800,000 donation. The program provides paid internship experiences and scholarships to students pursuing a career in commercial floriculture production. “AFE contributions come in all sizes, and every dollar counts,” said AFE manager Debi Aker.
As the Endowment celebrates its landmark anniversary this September in Florida, Kennicott said he hopes this message – that every dollar counts – will take hold and help ensure another half century of targeted, industry-supported, proactive research.
To register for AFE’s 50th Anniversary dinner on September 22nd, become a dinner sponsor, or to make a general contribution to AFE, contact Debi Aker at daker@endowment.org, (703) 838-5211.
Source: American Floral Endowment