(lively music) Volunteers are making a special delivery to residents at Cardinal Ritter Senior Services Mother of Perpetual Help Assisted Living Center.

For the last year, deliveries like this have been happening all over St.

Louis, delighting everyone who receives them.

- Thank you, thank you, thank you.

- What would we do without flowers?

- One, two, three.

- [Anne] After all, brightening days and creating smiles is what a Joy Petaler does.

- Our mission is about spreading joy in the community through flowers and through repurposing flowers.

(upbeat music) - [Anne] Colleen O'Neill Rohm is the executive director of Joy Petalers, and their concept is pretty simple.

After an event like a wedding, a gala, a funeral, or their natural retail lifespan, perfectly good flowers get thrown out.

But the volunteer floristas give them a second life.

- We cut them down, we peel off their dead parts, and we upcycle 'em into small arrangements that actually go out into the community, to those in senior facilities, veterans care, other non-profits, and really those who are really needing joy in our community.

- [Anne] Studies have shown that flowers have a direct positive effect on one's mental wellbeing.

Flowers activate dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin, the chemicals in our brain that make us feel happy.

When those are low, we feel low.

And flowers don't just lift mood.

They actively help people feel seen, cared for, and connected, which directly counteracts loneliness.

So when Joy Petalers show up with carts of beautiful, colorful flowers, you can see those happy chemicals hit in real time.

Chris Baechle is the CEO of Cardinal Ritter Senior Services.

- We've been on a journey of wellness for our residents, kind of really a more holistic approach.

And so having the flowers in and be able to brighten those spirits has a lot improvement from a cognition standpoint, socialization, more tying in the environment.

- Lots of pretty colors in this, huh?

Blue carnations, I don't know if I've ever seen that.

- [Anne] Joy Petalers started marketing joy in late 2024.

They currently deliver to 41 facilities and organizations in St.

Louis, including Siteman Cancer Center and teachers and staff in St.

Louis public schools.

- I would say this year alone, we'll do eight to 10,000.

- [Anne] Wow.

- Eight to 10,000 every vase.

- What were you thinking it would be?

- I don't know.

You know, maybe like 5,000, maybe 3,000.

I wasn't thinking that much.

I mean, but this universal effect that flowers have on people and the way they reach out, it's just going gangbusters.

I mean, we have so many facilities calling us and inquiring and saying, "I want flowers."

So it's really been a very kinetic effect.

And we're growing at such a huge pace, which is exciting, but we have to monetarily keep up with that too.

- [Anne] All 10,000 flower arrangements that will be distributed this year are at no cost to the lucky recipients.

This little operation basically runs on joy and donations.

There are no paid employees, all volunteers, 150 of them, including Rohm.

So why do you volunteer?

What are you doing?

- This is the most fun thing ever.

Why wouldn't I?

- [Anne] So does Joy Petalers mean to you that you're bringing joy or you're giving joy?

- It's all of the above.

- Deep thoughts, right?

- Yeah.

(group laughs) Yeah, yeah.

- I kind of thought that it was all about giving out, and what I'm realizing is the friendships that have been made here.

You know, our floristas come in, and it's not like a one and done.

We go to lunch, they are enjoying each other, you know, laughing.

There's a good comradery going on, funny jokes being said, talking about local, you know, things that are going on.

- You've created your own community in here.

- We have.

And I think, you know, there's this beautiful quote by Alice Walker, and it says, "Whenever you're creating beauty, you're restoring your own soul."

And to me, that is it.

Like, that's what we're doing.

We're creating this beauty not only for restoring other souls, but, really, restoring our own too.

(bright music) (crowd faintly speaking) - I really have to every day find something beautiful and spend some time with it.

So this, when this comes, this gives me a special beauty to have for a while to look at each day and spend time with.