THE FLOWER EMPOWER VAN ROLLED UP to Gardens on Hope last Wednesday with a delivery sure to make residents smile a little wider – despite the need for wearing masks. It was the final delivery of orchids donated by Westerlay Orchids… some of the final 1,000 of 100,000 donated.

Partnered with Dream Foundation’s Flower Empower program who have delivered over 15,000 of the orchids, Carpinteria-based Westerlay Orchids donated the final blooms in their “100,000 Orchids Challenge,” during a celebration of the new Gardens On Hope reaching full capacity! At the start of the COVID-19 safety measures, with businesses forced to close, the elderly quarantined in isolation, and first-responders thrust to the forefront of the crisis, the Westerlay team jumped into action. Dedicated to an their “100,000 Orchids Challenge,” the company issued a public invitation to join in a mission to show gratitude and appreciation for those most affected by the pandemic. Countless community members, organizations, and businesses across California, Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona answered the call. This week – just five months after the project began – Westerlay and Santa Barbara based Dream Foundation’s Flower Empower program, delivered the last remaining 1,000 orchid plants to ten local retirement communities in Santa Barbara County, including Gardens on Hope, Garden Court, GranVida, Heritage House, Maravilla, Serenity House, Sarah House, Villa SB, and The Towbes Foundation’s Shepherd Place and Rancho Francisco.

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