Woman Recycles Wedding Bouquets to Brighten Strangers' Days.
September 9, 2025 by By Cathy Stack
LYNCHBURG, Virginia—Dismayed by the number of discarded flowers she would see after the weddings she planned, Beheatherlyn Kirby hatched an idea to brighten strangers’ days.
To uplift people in her community, Beheatherlyn decided to collect the unwanted wedding flowers and redistribute them for free. She first arranged new bouquets to bring to the nursing home where she worked during the week. The positive response from recipients inspired her to expand her floral gift-giving project. She soon began loading hundreds of donated bouquets into her car to deliver to local hospitals, nursing homes and homeless shelters.
Word of Beheatherlyn’s generous project spread, and people reached out to learn how they could donate. She realized that she had tapped into a great need for people to be seen and valued. She started accepting donations from brides, event coordinators, local grocery stores and funeral homes. Donors enjoyed seeing their leftover flowers bring joy to the community, and their support prompted her to expand her efforts.
Now, bolstered by a team of volunteers, she operates the project as a non-profit organization called Floranthrophy (philanthropy through flowers, according to the organization's website).
Beheatherlyn and her team of volunteers work hard restructuring bouquets to repurpose. They carefully select the most fresh and vibrant blooms for reuse to ensure that their bouquets last several days for the recipients.
“It is an act of love,” said Beheatherlyn. “It is the most amazing experience.”
She said that she finds the most reward in watching recipients' faces light up with joy, adding that she experiences as much joy in return.
Beheatherlyn finds passing out flowers to unsuspecting strangers on the street especially rewarding. She often gives her flowers to the local street musicians because they are an integral part of what makes a community special. She also loves to hand out bouquets to grown men or those living on the street who typically never receive flowers.
“Everyone deserves a flower,” she said. “A small gesture can make a big difference in someone’s life. I just want people to fall in love with life again.”
The Foundation For a Better Life and PassItOn believe that Beheatherlyn Kirby and her volunteers are heroes. Their action is a great example of the value of kindness. Their beautifully crafted bouquets offer a gift of hope to strangers. Please help us share their inspiring story.
If you would like to learn more please visit: https://www.floralanthropy.com/
Watch video here: https://youtu.be/YHzoGVrWTBg?si=JUb2MPSUVjLwfQwi
.png)
