For 2 decades, B.C. florist has been bringing joy to end-of-life patients with a free bouquet every week - Action News
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British Columbia

For 2 decades, B.C. florist has been bringing joy to end-of-life patients with a free bouquet every week

Every Monday since March 2001, Jake Spoor in Vernon, B.C., has been hand-delivering fresh flower arrangements for free to patients living in the North Okanagan Hospice Society, to cheer them up during their final weeks of life.

Jake Spoor has been giving out free flowers to North Okanagan Hospice residents since 2001

With a tag that says 'to brighten your day, a florist in Vernon, B.C., has been giving out free flower arrangements every week since 2001 to patients at the North Okanagan Hospice Society. (Submitted by Tanya Stilborn)

For the elderly residents of the North Okanagan Hospice Society in Vernon, B.C., every Monday isa good day.

For the last two decades, Vernon Flower Shop owner Jake Spoor has been hand-delivering fresh bouquets every week for free to seniors nearing the end of life.

"It's a great idea, you know, to cheer somebody up for a while," Spoor, 81, told host Chris Walker on CBC's Daybreak South.

Spoor and his parents, who were also florists, came to Canada from the Netherlands in 1951.

In 1977, after years of back pain from working local orchards, he says he decided to buy a flower shop, in part,to fulfil his parents' dream of running a flower business in Canada.

Spoor says he had a conversation in early 2001 with his staff about how to give back to the community.

"We felt we should give flowers to an organization," he said. "Looking around at potential candidates, he says, one of hisstaff members said, 'Why don't we do the hospice society?'"

Jake Spoor says the idea of sending flowers to the hospice stemmed from a desire to give back to the community. (Submitted by Jake Spoor)

Founded in 1984, the North Okanagan Hospice Society providesend-of-life patients with pain and symptom management and a break from caregivingfor families.

Support services leader Tanya Stilborn, who has been working with the hospice for six years, says she first learned about Spoor from her executive directorand estimates that, over the years, her clients have received from Spoor more than 13,000 flower arrangementswhich are tailor-made based on their gender with a tag that says"to brighten your day."

Stilborn says these gifts have meant a lot to hospice residents during their final weeks of life.

"Those little bright spots in their day are really something to focus on," she said. "There's a lot of joy that lights up their face when they see ... this beautiful little arrangement every Monday."

"It's uplifting, and it's thoughtful."

Spoor says he doesn't mind the cost and intends to continue providing the service for as long as he can.

"Well, we can't stop this.The staff would really be annoyed if I ever said to stop a day of doing it."

With files from Daybreak South and Dana Kelly