A two-year-old in Norway, Michigan, is running flower deliveries to strangers, and at least one recipient has cried.
Easton Gustafson and her mother, Rachel Gustafson, launched Easton's Petal Promise, a nonprofit that delivers surprise bouquets to hospitals, nursing homes, a police department and community members in Dickinson County. The effort started simply: during a morning side-by-side ride through Felch Cemetery, Easton spotted wilted flowers on a headstone, ran into the woods, gathered wildflowers and brought them back.
"Mama, they need new flowers you know," Easton told her mother, according to Rachel Gustafson's account to WBUP/WJMN in a story published Monday, Aug. 10. Rachel Gustafson said watching her two-year-old do that felt "really special."
What began as replacing dead flowers at the cemetery has grown into deliveries across the community. Rachel Gustafson said the nonprofit has brought bouquets to a local nursing home, a police department, hospital patients and her own former first-grade teacher. Donations fund the fresh arrangements.
The family has also placed artificial flowers at Felch Cemetery to brighten it up, though Rachel Gustafson said they prefer fresh blooms as summer winds down rather than fake ones that would need to be removed soon.
Looking ahead: a flower farm
Rachel Gustafson said she plans to start the family's own flower farm next year so the nonprofit can supply its own bouquets instead of purchasing them. Easton's young cousin has already joined a couple of deliveries, and the family is actively seeking more volunteers and donors to expand the operation.
"We'd like to make this bigger and we want to impact as many people as we can," Rachel Gustafson told WBUP/WJMN.
She also has a young son at home and said she wants both children to grow up practicing compassion.
How to get involved
Easton's Petal Promise operates out of Norway in Dickinson County. Residents interested in donating, volunteering or requesting a delivery can reach the nonprofit through its Facebook page.
The nonprofit's formal registration status with the state of Michigan is not confirmed in available public records. Rachel Gustafson has described it as a nonprofit in interviews.
