Volunteer Spotlight: Avis Dolan
May 4, 2025 | Written by
Meet Avis Dolan, Hope Blooms Joymaker!
Volunteer Coordinator, Karina Zimney says this about Avis, “A longtime supporter of Hope Blooms, Avis serves as a dedicated processor and brings so much joy to the shop. Her warm smile, energy and fun spirit make every volunteer event shine. We’re so grateful for her ongoing support and the heart she brings to our mission.”
Volunteered since: 2017
How do you spend your time with Hope Blooms?
My normal is processing flowers on Tuesday mornings, but will occasionally add on making bouquets, writing cards, tagging jars, or cleaning.
What do you love most about Hope Blooms?
What I love MOST is hard, but a few things are the close friendships made with complete strangers and soon they aren’t strangers. I have a very good friend I met in 2017 helping at Hope Blooms. We have built and solidified our friendship many times over with attending concerts, events, coffee meetups, sharing our faith and shopping. I have also reconnected with former acquaintances from church, former jobs and our former campground.
What value do you see Hope Blooms bringing to our community?
I have loved the concept from the very beginning and have seen and felt the strong emotions brought out by giving flowers and receiving flowers. I don’t believe there is anything else that can touch such a wide variety of people in similar ways. Loneliness, isolation, grief or feeling forgotten are devastating emotions and some hard places to be and get out of alone. FLOWERS are an unspoken boost of emotions of caring, noticing, speaking, and friendship. It is amazing to see the number of people and places Hope Blooms has touched and built connections with in the community and surrounding areas whether businesses, churches, clubs, troops…To me it’s amazing to see the growth Hope Blooms has taken since the beginning.
I have loved the concept from the very beginning and have seen and felt the strong emotions brought out by giving flowers and receiving flowers. I don’t believe there is anything else that can touch such a wide variety of people in similar ways. Loneliness, isolation, grief or feeling forgotten are devastating emotions and some hard places to be and get out of alone. FLOWERS are an unspoken boost of emotions of caring, noticing, speaking, and friendship. It is amazing to see the number of people and places Hope Blooms has touched and built connections with in the community and surrounding areas whether businesses, churches, clubs, troops…To me it’s amazing to see the growth Hope Blooms has taken since the beginning.
What is your favorite flower?
Too many flowers!
Too many flowers!
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