Flowers are beautiful yet expensive, but Julie Danaylov has found a way to pay it forward.
“The Violet Heart Project is a not-for-profit organization,” said founder Julie Danaylov. “We come to special events at the end of the evening, we pick the flowers, restyle and repurpose them.”
The flowers are donated the next day to hospitals, hospices and long-term care facilities like The Ivan Franko home in Mississauga.
“We love when people receive the donations because they’re just so surprised that they’re receiving something,” said Danaylov. “It’s just so great to see that look of surprise. I mean that’s really the biggest payoff for us.”
Event organizers do pay a fee for pick up, restyling and delivery, but it’s all worth it in the end to see the smiles that Danaylov and her team see every day to those who receive the flowers.
“We love this project because not only are we able to actually give joy to other people that maybe haven’t had a visitor in a long time or maybe are suffering with an illness, that just having the flowers in the room really brighten their day,” said Danaylov.
Not only are Danaylov and her team creating smiles everywhere they go, they’re aiming to make the event industry more sustainable.
“This is a very waste-ridden industry unfortunately. Often things are used for a 24 hour cycle and then that’s it,” said Danaylov. “So not only to have the opportunity to pay it forward, give back, be generous, but then also be able to completely green that event, or at least the flowers from that event, I think it’s a win-win for everybody.”
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