PARK HILLS, Mo. — This Valentine’s Day is going to be one to remember for hundreds of residents in long-term care facilities when they get a rose that’ll last a lifetime.
The ‘Roses for Residents’ program is based in Park Hills, Missouri. Tiffany Wright is the founder of the program and owner of Copper Fox Contrived.
“We started with four facilities, and it has just grown and grown because our community is so giving," Wright said.
The roses are purchased with donations from the public. A donation of $5 will provide a resident with an everlasting bloom. This year's target number of roses was fluid, adjusting according to the number of donations received.
Helping hands are hard at work making almost 2,000 wood roses one by one.
Each one is to be delivered to a senior in a local living facility the week of Valentine’s Day. It all started in 2021, when Tiffany Wright noticed not everyone was getting the love they needed on Valentine’s Day.
“Last year we were right in the middle of the pandemic. Nobody was able to see their friends and family in the nursing homes because of the virus. So, I wanted a way to make them feel special.”
Last Valentine’s Day, Tiffany worked from a table in her house to launch Roses for Residents and gave 217 wood roses and handmade Valentine's cards to residents in four local senior living facilities.
This year, the project has really started to bloom.
Roses are headed out to assisted living facilities in all directions.
“St. Charles, Deloge, Pilot Knob, Mineral Pointe -- we have really expanded our bubble to a very large area,” Wright said.
With more than 40 businesses supporting the effort and more than 1,900 roses to deliver, it’s all hands on deck.
Libby Allen volunteers her time to assemble the wooden roses.
“When it all comes together, it makes all the time worth it," she said.
It takes weeks to get the construction done, step by step. Then the roses are headed to eager hands.
5 On Your Side stopped by to talk to Lulu Mae Stroup who lives at Maplebrook Assisted Living. She showed off the rose she received last year.
“I just more or less try to take care of it as much as I can because I want it to last. I keep on smelling it because I think it’s a real one,” she said with a laugh.
Stroup has always had a soft spot in her heart for Valentine’s Day. But this year, it’s harder to celebrate.
“I’ve always loved it. But this year, my husband is deceased so not having him with me is a loss," she said.
The Roses for Residents program wants to ensure her rose brings a smile to her face this year.
“I really appreciate it. It makes me feel special," said Stroup.
The final day to make a donation for a rose is Feb. 7.