Spreading joy with Flower Power

Some people just can’t stop themselves from trying to help brighten others’ spirits. It’s something we see a lot in our caregivers — they go above and beyond the call of duty, to put a smile on a patient’s face or to comfort a family member. But sometimes that help comes from outside of Monument Health.

For many, hospital stays are challenging. Some patients are fighting difficult battles, dealing with loneliness or just struggling being away from home. Cody Brown decided to do something to help with that. On Jan. 13, he brought 90 flower arrangements to Rapid City Hospital, and with the help of Guest Services, delivered them to patients to lift their spirits. He also handed out some arrangements outside of the Rapid City Hospital Fairmont Entrance, for visitors to share with the patients they had come to see.

Cody started the Flower Power donations in March 2020. “The first one I did was on the fourth anniversary of my dad’s passing, and we wanted to do something to give back and spread cheer in his name,” Cody said. Since then, he has delivered flowers to the VFW, the Black Hills Orthopedic and Spine Center and the Primrose Retirement Community.

“This is the fifth flower donation that we’ve done, “Cody said. “This one was in honor of a friend that’s in the hospital right now, fighting cancer. That’s one reason we wanted to make sure we could bring the flowers to the hospital this time.”

Spreading joy and comfort through flowers may be Cody’s idea, but he doesn’t make it happen by himself. These flower donations wouldn’t be possible without support from the team at Victoria’s Garden — who donate time, money and expertise — and the other Flower Power volunteers who help put together and deliver the arrangements. The delivery at Rapid City Hospital also relied on help from Guest Service Specialists, Mary Gray and Ben Warkentine, who handled the final step of delivery, bringing the flowers into patient rooms.

“Our patients greatly appreciated the generous donation of flowers from Cody and the Flower Power Team of Rapid City,” said Mary Lynn Koch, Manager of Guest Services at Rapid City Hospital. “We have many patients that have been unable to visit with their friends and family or who live a distance away. Receiving this gift of flowers brought tears of joy to many.”

Spreading joy is exactly what Cody had in mind when he first decided to give the gift of flowers, as well as keeping patients motivated to continue healing. “I know that there’s a lot of power in something good coming into their lives, even if it’s just a little thing,” he said. “We hope to be back and keep using flowers to help make their stay just a little better.”