Our First Event: Bouquets and Breakthroughs at Mount Sinai

Flowers Forward Foundation's inaugural event: Inpatient Rehabilitation Department, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach

Our first event took place in the inpatient rehabilitation department at Mount Sinai Medical Center, where flowers that would otherwise have been discarded became something no one expected: therapy.

We arrived with buckets of rescued blooms, vases, and everything needed to build a bouquet from scratch. Then, working side by side with Mount Sinai's physical therapists, patients did the rest; selecting their flowers, trimming stems, and arranging their own creations, each one different, each one entirely theirs.

What looks like a simple, joyful activity is quietly hard work in the best way. Choosing a stem, gripping the shears, trimming to length, placing each flower just so, every step exercises fine motor skills, sustained focus, and hand-eye coordination, exactly the abilities many rehabilitation patients are working to rebuild.…