SJM_Impact_ForgetMeKnot_4_20 . qxp_Dept 4 / 7 / 20 9 : 36 AM Page 1 S J M | I M P A C T I F lo w e r P o w e r L E O N A D A V I S I S S P R E A D I N G L O V E A N D J O Y T H R O U G H F O R G E T M , AEN K N O T obtained flowers from 90 weddings and O R G A N I Z A T I O N T H A T R E P U R P O S E S W E D D I N G since Forget Me Knot was launched three A R R A N G E M E N T S I N T O B O U Q U E T S F O R N U R S I N G years ago , it has created and delivered an astounding 12,000 bouquets . H O M E A N D H O S P I T A L R E S I D E N T S . b y J u l i e S h a n n o n “ It’s something that really resonates with people . No one likes to see flowers r o u n d m i d n i g h t o n F r i d a y s a n d S a t u r d a y s , w h e n m o s t p e o p l e a r e or anything go to waste , ” Davis says . “ We w i n d i n g d o w n t h e i r n i g h t o r a l r e a d y a s l e e p i n t h e c o m f o r t o f t h e i r are giving couples an option of taking h o m e a , A Leon Davis’s evening is just getting started . Davis , her husband Tom , those flowers and paying it forward . It’s a and volunteers travel to various wedding venues in the area to collect flowers from that beautiful way to begin your marriage and day’s receptions that otherwise would have been thrown out . end your reception knowing your flowers The next day , they personally deliver the flowers to local nursing homes , hospitals , will continue to be enjoyed by others . ” women’s shelters and care facilities throughout South Jersey . Davis recalled the first time Forget Me Knot partners with other she dropped off flowers at a nursing home in 2016 . local organizations to pay it forward as “ When I saw the reaction of people receiving the flowers , their faces became so alive ; well , such as Bancroft and St . John of they were so joyful and their smiles were so beautiful , ” the Haddonfield resident says . God . Davis and her volunteers deliver “ That’s when I knew how important this is and how much we’re impacting lives . Some - flowers to those organizations , and their thing was planting in my head — a seed was being planted for the future . ” patients — some with special needs and That seed bloomed into Forget Me Knot , a nonprofit that repurposes flowers to others who have brain injuries — repur - create bouquets that are donated to nursing homes and various organizations . Davis’s pose the flowers themselves . Then St . mission is to spread love , joy and kindness to others , especially those dealing with sick - John of God and Bancroft deliver the ness or loneliness . It all started when she was planning her daughter’s wedding in 2016 bouquets to nursing homes . and she saw the bill for the flowers . It made her realize how much money was being “ They get to be creative and give back spent and for how little time the flowers would actually be enjoyed and admired . to the community , ” she says . “ We wondered , what happens to them ? ” Davis says . “ We found out they toss them Davis is also working to inspire the out , which was unacceptable to us . So we had someone collect the flowers at the end of younger generation . Most recently , she the night and repurpose them so they could go into someone else’s hands to enjoy . We brought flowers to Bells Elementary tried to find an organization that did just this , but there was none . School in Washington Township — where “ I told my husband we can turn this into a business and he called me crazy . He said , she teaches — and students in third ‘ Going out at midnight on a Saturday ? That’s insane . ’ ” through fifth grades repurposed flowers It might sound insane to some , especially since Davis has a full - time job as an ele - into vases , which were then delivered to mentary music teacher in Washington Township , but she wouldn’t have it any other way . nursing homes . Her determination to uplift others and put a smile on people’s faces is what drives her — “ I gave them little tags to write mes - no matter what time of day it is . And this simple gesture has made a positive impact on sages . Some wrote , ‘ I just want you to countless lives . know I love you and I’m remembering “ We are completely overjoyed by what we see , ” she says . “ Delivering flowers to you . ’ One girl wrote , ‘ Be kind to one people who are alone , ill or in a difficult situation , it just fills your heart . I’m all about another . ’ It was very heartfelt . We went connecting with those who need a little bit of cheer . It doesn’t take much in this world to through 45 vases and they kept asking if make a difference . Small acts of kindness go a long way . ” we had more flowers , ” she says . She notes because there wasn’t anything like this in our area , it took about a year to “ We’re giving kids this opportunity to get her business out there and they had to educate people about the process . give back , make a difference and make a “ [ In ] 2017 we really started picking up weddings and people were understanding our connection with others , ” she says . goal — to give back through beautiful flowers , and it hasn’t stopped , ” Davis says . “ Oftentimes we have Girl Scout troops In fact , it has only magnified and continues to grow today . In 2019 alone , Davis S O U T H J E R S E Y M A G A Z I N E v o l u m e 1 7 i s s u e 1 S o u th Je rse yM a g a zin e . co m 3 6 |