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C O N N E C T I C U T
Florist
MAGAZINE OF THE CONNECTICUT FLORISTS ASSOCIATION • ISSUE 4 • 2012/2013
Flowers for
Newtown
Our Floral Industry Responds
Cover Story
tRagedY iN
Newtown
I
BY BOB HEFFERNAN
magine that you are the only florist in a
medium-size Connecticut town,
population 27,000. It is the week before
Christmas, typically one of your three
busiest weeks in the year. Without warning,
a deranged gunman enters one of your
town’s elementary schools, killing 20
innocent 6-year-old first
graders and six of their
teachers.
The grief of an entire world
descends on your town. More than 300
news reporters and 40 satellite TV
trucks set up camp in your town, along
with legions of police and investigators, Thousands more emotional visitors arrive and start impromptu roadside memorials everywhere.
Millions of people are glued to
their TV and Internet screens, watching every detail unfold.
The President of the United States comes to town.
And they want flowers. Lots of flowers.
*
*
*
That’s exactly what confronted Judy Grabarz, owner of
Newtown Florist that Friday, December 14, along with
florists in nearby Fairfield County
towns as a lone gunman terrorized
Sandy Hook Elementary School in
Newtown, Connecticut.
It could have been you or any
other florist across this country. It’s
happened before in American history,
and it will probably happen again.
No one ever prepares a florist for
such a monumental task. No guidebook or textbook could ever adequately detail what you’re supposed to do.
coNtiNued oN page 4
Connecticut Florist Magazine • 3
Cover Story
tRagedY iN
Newtown
FRoM page 3
But you, the florist, just plow ahead
and do your best. First come your own
emotions. Judy and her staff personally
knew many of these victimized families,
as all florists know their town intimately.
Their voices choked over the next seven
days whenever they referred to the
mountain-high stack of orders. “That’s
for Dylan,” you would hear them say, as
they chose to use the murdered childrens’ first names in working around
their design benches. “This wreath is for
Olivia....”.
They refused to let exhaustion interfere, although the string of 16-hour days
showed in their faces. Often, they had to
take a moment to compose themselves.
Many designers had trouble sleeping
those nights, aching
C O N N E C T I C U T
Florist
instead to be back at their benches. The
florists of western Connecticut had a
mission to perform: create the most
beautiful floral tributes for 26 beautiful
individuals. They were running on
adrenaline and they had to perform perhaps the most important job of their
careers.
*
*
is published six times a year by the
Connecticut Florists Association,
590 Main Street, Bart Center,
Monroe CT 06468
203-268-9000 • 800-352-6946
Fax 203-261-5429
e-mail: [email protected]
www.FlowersPlantsInCT.com
www.RealFlorists.com
Robert V. Heffernan, Editor &
CFA Executive Director
*
Thankfully, Connecticut is one of
only four states to have a full-time state
florist association.
The Connecticut Florists Association
office in Monroe is just 10 minutes from
Sandy Hook’s school and Newtown
Florist.
After counting 40 screeching emergency police and ambulance vehicles
careening at full speed and siren pass the
CFA office on Route 25, Executive
Director Bob Heffernan gave up counting.
But then the task that lay ahead
was daunting: he could foresee an
unprecedented load of funeral and
memorial work, in one of a
florist’s busiest weeks, with
flower supplies uncertain, and
flower shop staffs at their leanest, with just one florist and
one funeral home in Newtown.
It looked like the perfect nightmare for the floral industry.
Instead what happened the
next
seven
days
showed
Connecticut’s, the nation’s, and the
world’s floral industry in their finest
Connecticut Florist Magazine • 4
OFFICERS
Cathie Giuffrida, PRESIDENT,
Carbone Floral Dist.
Terri Krisavage, VICE PRESIDENT
TK & Brown’s Flowers, Rocky Hill
Merrilee Ganim, SECRETARYTREASURER
Ganim’s Garden Center - Fairfield
Rosemary Agostinucci AIFD,
PAST PRESIDENT Kensington
DIRECTORS
Anne Buck
Delaware Valley Wholesale • Cromwell
Michael Derouin AIFD AAF PFCI CAFA
McArdle’s Florist • Greenwich
Susan Festa
The Pink Petunia, Cheshire
Jennifer Ford-Chatfield
Fleur de Lys Floral • New Haven
Karen Lewandoski,
K&P Flowers • Suffield
Gary Meehan
Wild Orchid • Middletown
Alice Porter-Flagg
Manchester
Lee Reiske
Fruits & Flowers • Bridgeport
Steve Smith
Always Bloomin • Plainville
Leah VanNess
Montville Florist • Uncasville
Robin Weir AIFD
Haworth’s Flowers & Gifts • Farmington
Cover Story
moment.
Floral wholesalers immediately
started calling the CFA office. “What can
we do...anything just tell us,” one said.
Some designers offered assistance.
Bob’s first call went to Judy Grabarz
at Newtown Florist. “CFA can coordinate help for you,” he told her. “I fear
you’re going to get inundated,” said
simultaneously eyeing nonstop coverage on CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC.
The next morning, Saturday,
December 15, CFA sent out an E-alert
seeking volunteers and supplies. The
message went viral worldwide.
Within hours, CFA had offers of personal design help from more than 75
persons—not just from Connecticut, but
also from faraway places like Houston,
San Diego, Alabama, Michigan, and
more. Florists were willing to buy their
own airplane tickets and fly to
Newtown.
Many designers were happy to
work even a few hours on the Newtown
flowers.
Their shops rearranged
already-stretched holiday schedules to
free them up. Most volunteers ended up
at Newtown Florist, although some
assisted nearby Irene’s Flower Shop in
Monroe, also hit hard with many
Newtown orders.
Floral suppliers reacted to CFA’s
alert by racing to assemble more than
500 cases of flowers and hardgoods for
the Newtown tragedy. Truck after truck
after truck from Connecticut, New York,
Rhode Island, and Massachusetts was
loaded with flowers for Newtown.
Floral importers from Miami and
Holland began shipping product.
By Monday morning, CFA had a
coNtiNued oN page 6
INSURANCE
Services
Judy
grabarz
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Get Up to 35% Credit for Your
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These plans are available to any size company but you must be a current member of CFA, CGGA
or CNLA. If you are not already a member you can fill out a new member application online at
www.ConnecticutFlorist.com
Plans are administered by MW Financial Group LTD. Other services offered include Dental,
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For information contact:
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1-800-438-3162 x127
[email protected]
MW Financial Group, Ltd., 197 Scott Swamp Road,
Farmington, CT 06032. www.mwfinancial.com
Connecticut Florist Magazine • 5
Cover Story
Volunteers inside
Newtown Florist
tRagedY iN
Newtown
FRoM page 5
wonderful problem: the outpouring was
so generous there was no way all of it
could be reasonably accommodated.
Actually, the entire town of Newtown
had the same problem. Donations of
money and goods poured into the town
at a fast rate.
Bob
Heffernan set up inside
Newtown Florist to manage the donations of labor and supplies. Several
times he tried politely to refuse flowers,
but was often told, “You’re getting these.
Find a use for them. These people want
to help!”
*
*
*
Newtown Florist’s three phone lines
rang nonstop all day Monday and
Tuesday as the first funerals were
announced.
Christmas was now six days away,
but most flower orders were not for the
holiday. They were for sympathy.
Owner Judy Grabarz portrayed
determination, a good sense of organization, and calm. Her staff of designers
and drivers were boosted by a team of
volunteers, who she managed skillfully
and graciously.
Orders poured in. Many simply
were addressed to “the people of
Newtown, Connecticut,” or “the
Newtown first-responders” or “the children of Sandy Hook.” For many of
these, the florist drivers dropped them
off at the dozen or so
roadside
memorials
across the town that people had set up.
People walked in off
the street to get mixed
bouquets in cello wraps.
A Christian elementary
school in Texas sent an
order for a wreath with
each name of the
Newtown child victims
inscribed on separate
ribbons.
There were flowers and plants for
not only the victim’s families, but also
for their neighbors, and for almost anybody remotely connected to the tragedy
in Newtown.
Customers often ordered stuffed
animals to be part of the funeral designs.
Wreaths, open hearts, and crosses were
part of most victim funerals. Judy several times had to re-order easels.
Colorful flowers were in demand,
but also many pieces were ordered in allwhite textures.
*
*
*
Several funerals were in other
towns, such as Fairfield, Stratford, and
Woodbury. One of the children’s bodies
was flown back to her native Utah. So,
some of the floral work was scattered,
not entirely concentrated in Newtown.
Connecticut Florist Magazine • 6
Several somber moments forced the
hectic shop into silence when parents of
the 20 child victims would come in to
order their flowers. You could see the
exhaustion and emotion on the parents’
faces. They were enduring the worst
kind of hell, and all of the florists’s
hearts were broken for them.
Most of the victims’ services were
closed-casket. Many services were held
inside churches.
All of the victims’ families had 24hour police protection. Honan Funeral
Home on Main Street, Newtown, often
had a ring of police officers stationed on
the grounds to control crowds.
Judy Grabarz—like most of her
florist colleagues—has spent years
developing good relations with her local
funeral director and town officials. All of
that helped her tremendously in the
days following the Newtown shootings.
Cover Story
over 500 cases of donated
flowers arrived in Newtown,
many with heartfelt messages...
Numerous phone calls went back and forth to smooth
the details.
*
*
*
For the floral drivers delivering flowers, traffic
sometimes became impossibly backed up as crowds
came into the town and police tried to manage the
flow around countless news media trucks.
At the churches hosting memorial services, officials gave flower trucks easy access to bring in flowers.
But most facilities were roped off several hundred feet
away to keep the hungry news media cameras far
away.
This was not the kind of publicity florists wanted,
but reporters wanted details on every aspect of the
Newtown tragedies—including how people were
expressing themselves. Indeed, people were using
flowers for the very reasons florists knew had timehonored value: showing love and hope during life’s
worst moments.
On several occasions, the Newtown Florist staff
politely refused news reporters’ requests to interview them, film
them, or photograph them.
The Hartford Courant, however, was persistent. Reporter Dan
Connecticut Florist Magazine • 7
coNtiNued oN page 8
Cover Story
tRagedY iN
Newtown
FRoM page 7
*
Haar pestered the CFA office for the
story. Bob Heffernan spent much time
explaining how florists always work to
protect the confidentiality of their customers and their orders, and how flowers are used to express human motion,
especially in such a horrifying catastrophe.
The Courant published an unexpectedly careful and sensitive story days
later, with this lead: “Flowers and
wreaths. They are the living, fragrant
markers that hold together a community
in mourning, in public and sacred
spaces, at funerals, in houses all over
Newtown and beyond. Wherever there
is grieving, there are carefully arranged
flowers and wreaths.”
*
Donations of cut flowers continued
flowing into Newtown through that following Thursday. Sometimes, they
came in on pallets.
Outside Newtown Florist, it looked
more like a wholesale florist’s cooler.
Some florists sent “care packages” to
Newtown Florist. One Peoria, Illinois
florist sent a box of assorted items like
casket saddles, teddy bears with the
note: “Use as you can for the children’s
funerals.”
The cases of flowers received from
our floral industry were full of handwritten messages. “Handle with care for
Newtown CT,” one said. Many were
inscribed with magic marker on the
cardboard simply, “In honor of Sandy
Connecticut Florist Magazine • 8
Hook.”
Drivers of big box trucks from the
wholesalers had to give silent hugs to
the Newtown staff.
Bob Heffernan spent hours re-routing the cases of flowers to other affected
florists in the area. A volunteer team
spent hours daily at Newtown Florist
prepping flowers in buckets.
In Bethel, Alice’s Flower Shop
owner Kathy Menichelli got a group of
local garden club volunteers to clean and
condition 3,000 of the donated roses,
which were used at a giant memorial
service inside the O’Neill Center on the
Western Connecticut State University
campus.
Cover Story
In Trumbull, City Line Florist took
some time that busy pre-Christmas week
to make up hand bouquets for people to
use in their church prayer services for
the victims.
In Fairfield, Bruce Minoff opened
one of his large event coolers to take
delivery of one truckload of the donated
flowers, which he helped distribute to
shops working on the funerals. Minoff
owns Hansen’s Flower Shop, plus also
Irene’s Flower Shop in Monroe, where
manager Bob Sabia AIFD used the flowers for many of his Newtown-destined
funeral pieces.
*
*
*
The intense media coverage brought
out the crazy people.
Police motorcycle riders escorted the
funeral corteges as they traveled up and
down Route 25 in Newtown.
Bomb threats were called into services for the Newtown victims, once emptying the Catholic Church in the midst of
one of the services.
A very low point came inside
Newtown Florist when a telephone
caller threatened the flower shop. The
Newtown Police and the state police
bomb squad arrived with explosivesniffing dogs to clear the flower shop.
From then on, town and state officials had set up a command center with
the FBI, asking that future flower deliveries intended for the victims first be
cleared there.
*
*
FLoRaL VoLuNteeRS & doNoRS
NeWtoWN tRagedY 2013*
VoLuNteeRS
doNoRS
Bob Buettner, paul Buettner Florist, e. Hartford
Michael derouin aiFd & alicia gerbert
Mcardle’s Florist & garden center, greenwich
Mary dutko, cromwell
Susan Festa, the pink petunia, cheshire
Jennifer Ford-chatfield, Fleur de Lys, New
Haven
Lynne gaffney, Montville Florist
Merrilee ganim, ganim’s garden center &
Florist, Fairfield
cathie giuffrida, carbone Floral dist.
cindy gorsky, tolland
Bob Heffernan, cFa
Roberta Heffernan
angela Henry, Houston, tX
Heather Henry, plantsville
terri Krisavage, tK & Brown’s Flowers,
Rocky Hill
Bruce Minoff, Hansen’s Flower Shop, Fairfield
Sylvia Nichols aiFd, cheshire Nursery Flower
Shop
Lee Reiske, Fruits & Flowers, Bridgeport
Mary thielke, Bella Flora, Rocky Hill
Leah Van Ness, Montville Florist
Robin Weir aiFd, Haworth’s Florist, Farmington
allen Zeiner, cFa
anne Buck, delaware Valley Wholesale
Michael derouin aiFd, Mcardle’s Florist &
garden center, greenwich
Jon Lindeberg, teleflora
FleuraMetz, tom Yaiser
Ftd, Janet Justus & Jim Weedon
delaware Valley Wholesale Florist, cromwell ct
a. perri Farms, Ronkonkoma, NY
carbone Floral distributors, cranston Ri
equiflor / Rio Roses, Miami, FL
Springfield Florists Supply, Springfield Ma
Roses for autism, guilford ct
Michele’s Floral events, peoria Heights iL
Mcardle’s Florist & garden center, greenwich ct
c&c cut Flowers, Bridgeport ct
Fall River Florist Supply, Fall River Ma
island Wholesale Florist, Quogue, NY east coast Wholesale, Norwalk ct
Florida Beauty Floral, Miami, FL
trillium Floral, St. catherines oN, canada
choice Farms, Miami, FL
R.F.i., Miami, FL
Jet Fresh Flowers, South Florida
gardens america, Miami FL
Fresca Flowers, Miami, FL
the Hurley group, Newtown & New Haven
Jensen tire & auto, Monroe
Mavrode Farms, Ringoes NJ
esmeralda Farms, Miami FL
transflora, Miami FL
the Queens Flowers, Miami FL
golden Flowers, Miami FL
armellini air, palm city FL
FiNaNciaL coNtRiButioNS
Rapozza’s Florist & greenhouse, Westport Ma
enchanted Florist, Las Vegas NV
Fleur de Lis gift Shop, St. Louis Mo
alice Waterous, Michigan Floral assn.,
grand Haven Mi
Becky Huffman, Floral designer, columbia iL
* as of January 15
*
Florists were helping in so many creative ways.
Every day during that stressful
week, they took turns bringing in lunches for the Newtown crews. They sent
pastries for breakfast.
One arranged for the donation of a
van to help with the numerous
Newtown flower deliveries.
Several florists across the country
mobilized to solicit monetary donations.
One Michigan florist said with her
$150 check, "To help preserve my own
sanity, it's necessary for me to do something, no matter how modest."
Rapoza's Florist in Westport MA
sent CFA a check for more than $1,800
collected from a post on their shop's
Facebook page. Enchanted Florist of
Las Vegas sent almost $600 raised from a
large group of concerned people in that
western city. Missouri-based regional
floral wholesaler Baisch and Skinner
sent out a note to its customers encour-
Connecticut Florist Magazine • 9
aging donations to CFA.
To date, CFA has received nearly
$3,000 in checks. The CFA Board of
Directors will decide a good use of the
funds that benefits the Newtown victims
and makes our floral industry look even
better.
MARCH 8 • 9 • 10
/
Experience
the Expo
Trade
Fair
Largest in the northeast U.S.!
Saturday & Sunday 10am-5pm
Scan the QR code below to see the
list of exhibitors
or go to NortheastFloralExpo.com
Elegant New Location
• Florist Bookstore
• New Products
• State Florist Meetings
• Silent Auction
• Short demos in the
Trade Fair
• Big Trade Fair Prizes
Stay at the beautiful Mystic Marriott
Special Expo rate of $114
Call 866-449-7390
exit 88 off Interstate 95
Connecticut
Advance Registration
each day and AIFD
Symposium grand
prize!
Expo Sponsors
DIAMOND
AT THE MYSTIC MARRIOTT
PLATINUM
• CFA-member company $49 ($39 each additional)
• Non-member companies $69
• Students $20
Your registration includes entry to the Expo for each day, business
clinics, trade show, main stage shows, state florist meetings, demo
programs in the Trade Fair, and viewing design competitions.
GOLD
SILVER
PARTNERS
Get All the Details & Register Online: www.NortheastFloralExpo.com
or call CFA: 800-352-6946
Connecticut Florist Magazine • 10
Friday Evening
Doors Open at 6:30 with
Live Fashion Show
Beginning
at 7:00.
Tickets $100.
Proceeds benefit
Pediatric Oncology at
Yale-New Haven
Children’s Hospital
To enter the competition,
call CFA at
800-352-6946 or
see the rules at
the end of this
packet
MARCH 8, 9, & 10, 2013 • MYSTIC MARRIOTT • EXIT 88 OFF I-95 • CONNECTICUT
Connecticut Florist Magazine • 11
Saturday
ON THE MAIN STAGE
Reflections | Noon
Join Ken Norman AIFD & Theresa Colucci
AIFD on a trip down memory lane and
then move forward as we look at floral
designs that keep us relevant in the
future. Our journey is sure to bring a
smile, even a laugh out loud, as we
explore how designs styles have evolved
over the past several decades. Be inspired
by the possibilities of floral design for
today and keep yourself current in the
months ahead for our competitive marketplace. Presented by Diamond Sponsor
CFA.
HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS
Additional cost $79 members, $89 nonmembers
Floral Mechanics...Naturally | 8:30am
Floral arrangements designed to be unique and
clever can be achieved by using Natural
Mechanics. Ann Jordan AIFD, AAF, MMFD, will provide the designer with the knowledge and use of
kubari and armatures to support floral compositions. Students will learn to create designs that
are hand crafted and styled to be one of a
kind…Naturally.
Presented by Platinum Sponsor FTD.
Something New.... | 8:30am
Join Bert Ford AIFD, PFCI, as he takes you on a
hands-on journey of what today's bride is searching for. His progressive approach to wedding florals will highlight both bouquets and table centerpieces. Featuring a vast array of products presented
by Gold Sponsor, Delaware Valley Wholesale Florist.
Embracing the future of Wedding Design |
1:00pm
Join international floral design expert Neville
MacKay, CAFA, PFCI for a fun filled hands-on workshop featuring all of the latest new wedding products from Smithers-Oasis. Learn how you can easily upgrade your designs by incorporating these
new products into your wedding bouquets, centerpieces and more. Presented by Diamond Sponsor CFA &
Silver Sponsor Smithers Oasis.
Brilliant on the Basics | 4:30pm
This is a dynamic program based on
Barry Gottleib’s new book, Brilliant on
the Basics...A Playbook for Business
Leaders.
Presented by Partner Sponsor Carbone
Floral Distributors and Rio Roses.
Tropicals Made Easy | 1:00pm
For the experienced designer to the novice, tropical flowers and exotic foliages can be somewhat
challenging. This class by On Thai AIFD will cover
the care and processing of the flowers as well as
easy design elements and techniques, and some
“tricks of the trade”. Presented by Diamond Sponsor CFA.
NORTHEAST FLORAL EXPO
DESIGN COMPETITIONS 2013
• CFA State Design Competition
The theme is to create a floral arrangement for
an art gallery’s grand opening.
• The CFA Masters | Designer of the Year
The theme is “Reflections”. Using some kind
of reflective element, give us your interpretation of what reflections means to you.
• FFA Student Design Competition
Agri-science high school students from southern New England show you their talent and
skill in floral design.
To enter the CFA competitions, read the rules
and fill out the entry form at
www.NortheastFloralExpo.com
BUSINESS CLINICS
Customer Satisfaction...The Experience |
12:30pm
This program drives home the importance of
making every experience that a customer
has a positive memorable one. Speaker:
Barry Gottleib. Presented by
Partner Sponsor Carbone Floral Distributors
and Rio Roses.
Florist-to-Florist | 2:00pm
In this annual popular session, florists educate each
other and share their best business practices.
Presented every year by Diamond Sponsor CFA.
MARCH 8, 9, & 10, 2013 • MYSTIC MARRIOTT • EXIT 88 OFF I-95 • CONNECTICUT
Connecticut Florist Magazine • 12
Saturday
Evening
Cocktail Reception 6:00
mingle with your friends
Bus to Mohegan Sun 7:00
try your luck or grab a bite
Dessert Soiree 10:00
sweet dreams
Cost per person $79.00
M E E T
U S
I N
If that bus leaves the hotel
and you’re not on it
you’ll regret it.
Maybe not today
maybe not tomorrow
but soon...and for the rest of your
life
This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship
Connecticut Florist Magazine • 13
Sunday
BUSINESS CLINICS
Marketing to the Affluent | 12:30pm
Even in down times there are people out
there who have plenty of money to spend on
the products and services that we sell. Do
you know how to find the affluent, or identify
their buying habits? Rick Rivers will show
you how to look at your demographics and
then create a campaign to increase your sales and profits. Presented by FloristWare & Diamond Sponsor CFA.
Building Your A-Team | 2:00pm
How to select, train and motivate your staff to
take your business to the top! Derrick Myers
CPA. Presented by Crockett Myers & Diamond
Sponsor CFA.
ON THE MAIN STAGE
Hidden Treasure, Finding the Gold in Your Business |
8:30am
Hidden in your business are areas of cost that if
reduced would greatly increase the profit of your
business. A dollar saved in cost is a dollar added
to your bottom line profit. Derrick Myers CPA will
deep-dive into the six main cost centers of your
business and show you how to track, measure,
and adjust costs so you increase profits like you
never thought possible.
Presented by Crockett Myers & Diamond Sponsor CFA.
The Impact of Perception | Noon
Profitable companies believe image to be their
number one asset. Floral product is everywhere, from street corners to the Internet. We
have one thing that will always be our own:
our image. This intangible personality is our finger print; it is our reputation. Self-branding creates customer loyalty. If the mystique of image
is missing from your company, Ann Jordan AIFD, AAF, MMFD
will show you how to create designs that reflect your own
brand. Presented by Platinum Sponsor FTD.
HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS
Additional cost $79 members, $89 nonmembers
Less is More | 8:30am
Featuring Theresa Colucci AIFD
Designing for profit using less than 10 flowers
and making an impact. Learn how to create
designs that will have a strong visual impact on a
budget. These floral designs allow you to keep
your costs down, profits up and still create an
impressive
design for your customer.
Presented by Diamond Sponsor CFA.
Head to Toe | 8:30am
Explore the spectrum of design possibilities by
creating body flowers for the hair, corsages,
wristlets, adornments for shoes, etc. Let your
imagination run wild! Instructor: Debbie Grote
AIFD. Presented by Diamond Sponsor CFA.
Verdant Succulents Made Simple | 1:00pm
Also known as Echeveria, students in thiis workshop taught by Ken Norman AIFD will create a
modern centerpiece using these trendy and effective botanicals, and an armature in a lotus bowl
to frame the eye-catching succulents. The succulents' color and texture, in addition to their durability, make
for an extraordinary floral display.
Presented by Diamond Sponsor CFA.
Picture Perfect Sympathy Designs |1:00pm
You have a website. The arrangements look wonderful, but the pictures just don't do them justice. Learn tips from J. Robbin Yelverton AIFD, AAF,
CF, PFCI for making web-worthy designs and photos.
Students will make a sympathy arrangement in class then
see how to photograph it for the web.
Presented by Silver Sponsor Flower Shop
Network.
Get Armed | 1:00pm
Learn how to make an armature that can be the
base of both floral arrangements or hand tied
bouquets. Features Instructor Dorothy
Chenevert AIFD.
Presented by Diamond Sponsor CFA.
Mazel Tov! | 2:30pm
Follow the life of Sarah, a young Jewish girl as
she takes the journey through the monumental
chapters of her life -- her Bat Mitzvah & Wedding
Day. Learn the traditions and terminology of the
Jewish faith that we as professionals should know.
David Siders AIFD & Rudy Grant AAF AIFD will
share their knowledge, resources and ways to
market to this clientele—all while showing various examples of flowers and decorations appropriate for mitzvahs, weddings and so much
more. Presented by Diamond Sponsor CFA.
MARCH 8, 9, & 10, 2013 • MYSTIC MARRIOTT • EXIT 88 OFF I-95 • CONNECTICUT
Connecticut Florist Magazine • 14
CFA at the Flower Show
Volunteers Needed
for CFA’s Display at the
2013 Connecticut Flower &
Garden Show in Hartford.
Help us educate 30,000
flower-lovers!
Contact CFA at
800-352-6946.