Residents of Plymouth’s Trillium Woods Receive Special Surprise
A Plymouth senior living community received a special surprise this week thanks to the generosity of a local florist.
Len Busch Roses delivered more than 200 Easter lilies to residents of Trillium Woods on Tuesday.
“Speaking as a woman, there’s nothing better than getting a delivery of flowers,” said Rita Cichoski, the Trillium Woods director of administrative services. “Especially after the long hard winter that we all Minnesotans face.”
Trillium Woods resident Carolyn Larson and associate Kim Twigg.
Easter lilies serve as a reminder that spring has arrived. But in this new era of social distancing, the flowers also take on a greater meaning.
“The residents have certainly been missing that normal social interaction and camaraderie that they’re used to,” said Matt Phipps, executive director of Trillium Woods. “So it was a nice surprise, and they were extremely appreciative of that gesture.”
People choose to live at Trillium Woods, in large part, because of the various amenities offered to them. Those include salon and spa services, a fitness center and various activities they can enjoy with their neighbors.
But since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trillium Woods has had to push the pause button on offering some of those amenities.
Trillium Woods resident Judy Hovda and associate Sam Lefaive.
“They understand the reasoning behind it, and have been very supportive of the decisions that have been made to keep everybody safe,” Phipps said.
Other Senior Living Communities Benefiting as well
Meanwhile, staff members from Len Busch Roses have made flower deliveries to other senior-living communities in the area as well to let them know that they’re not alone during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We want to get something into their hands that could brighten their day and give them something to smile about,” said Georgia Edington, the in-house floral designer at Len Busch Roses.
Most of those deliveries have involved tulips, but company founder Len Busch happens to be a resident of Trillium Woods, and he made a special request for his neighbors to receive Easter lilies.
“Len’s great and he’s got such a big heart,” Phipps said. “We’ve got kind of unusual times in front of all of us that we’re all experiencing, but these kind of things are the feel-good ones, and we’re happy to be part of that and happy our residents were able to enjoy it too.”
Trillium Woods associate Rita Cichoski and resident Kathy Kozlak.
Whenever these “unusual times” come to an end is anybody’s guess, but for one Tuesday in April, the residents of Trillium Woods were able to remember happier times, thanks to Len Busch Roses and hundreds of free Easter lilies.
“It’s awesome that [Len’s] not just thinking of the residents here, his fellow neighbors, but also delivering to other communities as well,” Cichoski said.
