Sunshine and Happiness Delivered March 11!

Gems of Hope will deliver happiness and sunshine on March 11th as its second annual Hope Blooms fundraising campaign comes to an end. This year Gems will deliver over 400 bouquets of daffodils to cancer patients in treatment in the area and over 300 Lion Hugs gifts to sick children being treated at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Additionally nearly 2500 bunches of daffodils will be spread throughout the community as orders from local community members and businesses are filled. T-shirts and mini-potted daffodil plants were also part of the product suite offered by Gems, and those items will offer a more constant reminder of what the day is all about, which is allowing Gems to fulfill its mission of bringing hope to cancer patients and their families.

Hope Blooms Committee Chair Beth Hammell commented, “We had such great support for Hope Blooms this year, we could not be more excited about the results, and of course delivering the flowers on the 11th. The flowers symbolize hope and new beginnings. Our deliveries will arrive just in time to welcome spring. The support Gems receives from Hope Blooms funds all of the great programs and events we do throughout the year. We can’t thank our sponsors and the community enough for helping us make this fundraiser a success.”

Gems of Hope, Inc. supports cancer patients and their families. At the core of the programs is the “gifts of hope” distribution. Volunteers handcraft cards with inspirational sayings and mount handmade earrings or bookmarks, or a serenity circle to the card. The gifts are distributed in oncology clinics and hospitals throughout the corridor. Gems also offers a kids camp for ages 5-12 dealing with a cancer diagnosis, a web site for teens, a scholarship program for high school seniors and cancer libraries for schools. Proceeds from the Hope Blooms campaign go to support Gems and the great programs they offer.

The 2015 Hope Blooms presenting sponsor is the Helen G. Nassif Community Cancer Center. Other sponsors include; Mercy Medical Center, Van Meter, General Mills, The Ghosh Center, Radiation Oncology of Cedar Rapids, MedLabs, Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust, U of I Community Credit Union, and Clark’s Health Market Pharmacy. In-kind service providers include Peck’s Flower Shop and Garden Center, J&A Printing, Kirkwood Horticultural Department, Tall Grass Business Resources, Lamar Advertising and The Gazette.