Flowers of Colombia to Bring the Power of Flowers to the Fernandina Beach Community

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — Thousands of Colombian flowers will bring color, connection and moments of joy to the Fernandina Beach community this August through a special initiative led by Flowers of Colombia, the country brand of the Colombian Association of Flower Exporters (Asocolflores), with the support of the Society of American Florists (SAF), That Flower Feeling and the City of Fernandina Beach.

The initiative will take place in conjunction with SAF’s 141st Annual Convention, being held August 18–20 on Amelia Island. Flowers of Colombia, a longtime sponsor of the convention, is inviting members of the floral industry attending the event to do something together for their host community: transform Colombian flowers into approximately 200 small floral arrangements that will then be shared with local residents. SAF expects more than 400 floral professionals at this year’s convention.

The community activities will take place on Friday, August 21, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, located at 1200 Elm St. in Fernandina Beach. The event will include a hands-on floral workshop for approximately 20 senior citizens, where participants will create and take home their own arrangements. Additional flowers will be shared with seniors at the center, as well as with local police officers and firefighters, who will receive arrangements and help extend the gesture to other members of the community. Organizers also hope to join first responders in personally delivering flowers to residents in the surrounding neighborhood.

“For Flowers of Colombia, this is about much more than giving away flowers. We want people to experience what flowers can do: create a moment of happiness, bring people together and simply make someone’s day a little better,” said Laura Valdivieso, President of Asocolflores. “By bringing together Colombian flower growers, the U.S. floral industry and the Fernandina Beach community, we can multiply that impact. It is a simple gesture, but one that represents exactly what we believe flowers have the power to do: generate well-being and inspiring experiences”.

The initiative builds on an activity Flowers of Colombia introduced at the SAF Annual Convention last year, when convention attendees were invited to create arrangements that could be shared beyond the event itself. This year, Flowers of Colombia wanted to take the concept further by working alongside SAF and inviting That Flower Feeling to join the effort, creating a community-focused experience designed to demonstrate the role flowers can play in everyday life.

Research supports what many people intuitively feel when giving or receiving flowers. A behavioral study conducted at Rutgers University found that flowers have an immediate impact on happiness and can positively affect mood and social connection. Research focused specifically on seniors found that participants experienced increased happiness and positive moods and greater social engagement when flowers were present. For Flowers of Colombia, those findings reinforce a larger purpose behind the initiative. Asocolflores’ stated purpose is to strengthen sustainable Colombian floriculture so its flowers can generate “well-being and inspiring experiences.”

A Floral Industry Coming Together for the Community

The Society of American Florists, whose vision is “The power of flowers in every life,” is supporting the initiative through its Annual Convention and helping coordinate participation by floral professionals.

“The floral community understands firsthand the positive impact flowers can have on people’s lives,” said Kate Penn, CEO Society of American Florists. “This initiative gives our convention attendees an opportunity to turn that belief into action and give something meaningful back to the Fernandina Beach community that is welcoming us this year. We are proud to support Flowers of Colombia in bringing the industry together around the power of flowers.”

That Flower Feeling, an industry-wide initiative dedicated to inspiring Americans to enjoy more flowers, more often, is also supporting the project. Its broader mission of encouraging people to make flowers part of everyday life aligns closely with the spirit of the community activation.

“Flowers don’t need a special occasion to make a difference,” said Joe Don Zetzsche, Interim Executive Director. “This project is a beautiful example of what That Flower Feeling is all about: bringing more flowers into more lives, more often, and giving people the opportunity to experience firsthand the joy and connection flowers can create.”

The Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, operated by the City of Fernandina Beach Parks & Recreation Department at 1200 Elm Street, will serve as the community partner and one of the focal points for the activities.

“We are delighted to welcome Flowers of Colombia and its partners to Fernandina Beach and to share this experience with members of our community,” said Scott Mikelson, Parks and Recreation Director. “An activity like this is about connection — bringing people together, creating something with their own hands and sharing a gesture of kindness with others. We look forward to seeing these flowers travel from the convention into our community.”

The flowers for the initiative will be donated by Flowers of Colombia through Asocolflores, reflecting the Colombian floral sector’s commitment not only to bringing high-quality, diverse flowers to consumers around the world, but also to demonstrating the positive role flowers can play in people’s everyday lives. Asocolflores represents, promotes and strengthens Colombian floriculture and its competitiveness in international markets.

About Flowers of Colombia / Asocolflores

Flowers of Colombia is the country brand representing the diversity and quality of Colombian flowers around the world and is led by Asocolflores, the Colombian Association of Flower Exporters. Founded in 1973, Asocolflores represents and promotes Colombian flower growers and exporters and works to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of Colombian floriculture in Colombia and its principal international markets.