Francis in the Schools

700 first through sixth grade public school students from some of the poorest communities in Contra Costa County to her Francis in the Schools spring events. All the students participated in the fresh flower arranging activity in small groups throughout the day.

Before the Faire, the flowers were trimmed and placed in small buckets by the volunteers. They were arranged on work tables when the kids arrived. Each of them was given a basket with wet floral foam and were able to select from an array of flowers to create their own arrangement to take home.

The children were enchanted by this activity! For most of them, it was their first experience working with fresh flowers. Yet all ages quickly became consumed by the task, showing great care and a newly discovered artistic sensibility in creating attractive and balanced designs. Many students suddenly stopped working, held up a single flower and asked, “Isn’t this beautiful?”

The Royal Flowers Group donated 2,600 exquisitely beautiful roses and 300 charming sunflowers to the events. Our roses have a special magnetic quality, which inspired some of the children to only use roses in their arrangements.