An Indianapolis non-profit group that reuses donated flowers for hospital patients marked its tenth anniversary on 27 October 2026. It delivered its 175,000th flower arrangement at Eskenazi Health. Random Acts of Flowers Indianapolis (RAFI) reached the milestone ten years after it began local work in 2016. The charity got started after a burst of giving, when supporters donated $9,000 within 45 minutes to open a branch in the city.
The organisation said the milestone delivery stands for thousands of personal moments. This allowed its first hospital deliveries later that year. The group depends on volunteers who collect unwanted flowers from weddings, memorial services, florists, and grocery stores. Teams arrange the stems into fresh displays. They then deliver them to patients in healthcare facilities, nursing homes, and hospices across the Indianapolis area. They aim to give emotional support to people facing illness, loneliness, or long hospital stays.
The 175,000th bouquet was given out during a special anniversary visit to patients at Eskenazi Health. The event showed the steady community support that has kept the volunteer network running for ten years, according to a report from Indianapolis radio station 93.1 WIBC. “Ten years and 175,000 bouquets delivered. That is 175,000 moments of kindness and joy we have shared,” Kelly McBride said in a statement reported by WIBC. The idea behind Random Acts of Flowers began in 2007. The Indianapolis chapter was set up in 2016 after local organisers raised $9,000 in just 45 minutes for seed money.
She said “each RAFI arrangement begins with donated flowers and is made possible through the collective efforts of volunteers, floral donors, community partners and supporters. It is one of the main medical centres the charity has served since it began. Kelly McBride, Executive Director of Random Acts of Flowers Indianapolis, stressed that the real value of the milestone lies in the personal connections made at patients’ bedsides over the past decade. Kelly McBride added that each arrangement relies on many people in the community. That year, founder Larsen Jay survived a serious accident and was stuck in bed in a hospital intensive care unit. Larsen Jay saw that his room was full of flowers sent by well-wishers While he recovered. Many patients near him got none. He saw how uplifting the flowers were, so he began moving his extra flowers to other hospital rooms. This led to the creation of a national non-profit group. This first push let the local group open a workshop, find volunteer florists, and set up delivery partnerships with hospitals in central Indiana. Over the past ten years, the Indianapolis group has grown to handle tens of thousands of donated stems each year. It keeps flowers from going to waste while serving healthcare networks across the region.
The charity confirmed through WIBC that it plans to keep its regular delivery schedules to healthcare facilities in the Indianapolis area. The daily work of Random Acts of Flowers Indianapolis relies on a well-organised volunteer system that runs out of a local workshop. Volunteers drive to partner sites, including florists, event planners, and funeral homes. They pick up unsold or extra flowers that would otherwise end up in landfills. At the workshop, volunteer arrangers trim, freshen, and put the stems into small, portable vases. Delivery teams then bring the finished arrangements by hand to patient rooms. Staff at the hospitals and other facilities work with the charity to make sure the bouquets reach people who have few visitors or who are going through long medical treatment. It will rely on continued donations from local flower suppliers and community volunteers to support its next ten years.