On every Valentine’s Day for the last five years, the fragrant smell and vibrant color of carnations and roses fill the campus. The flowers are part of a fundraiser to help students and staff go on the spring break mission trip to Camp Caribe in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico. This year, the team consists of 14 students and one professor. The flowers are sold individually. The more flowers a person sells, the more money that person receives. The $2 roses bring in 66 cents per flower, while the $1 carnations bring in 50 cents. It may not seem like much, but the sales can add up for those who really want to raise some money through the fundraiser. Over the years, the flowers have brought in approximately $1,000 in profit to go towards this trip. The 2019 fundraiser purchased 400 flowers, split pretty evenly between roses and carnations.
The spring break Puerto Rico trip has been a staple at Grace for years and will most likely continue in the years to come. Camp Caribe is always in need of help getting ready for the camp season during this time of year, especially while they are still recovering from Hurricane Maria that hit in September of 2017. The team will be painting, fixing roofs, and doing other minor construction projects that need to be done around the camp. Members will also be serving at Club Maravilla, an after school program in a nearby barrio.
Mission team member Ellie Glass states, “The flower sale was a great way for the team to raise some extra money and to share news about the trip.” She is excited about the trip and has seen how the flower sales have helped them connect as a team as the trip nears. Though the flower sale may be over, there is still an opportunity to help fund the mission trip through muffin sales located in the Academic Office in the JAC or by donating to someone’s trip in another way. If you missed out on the flowers this year, they will be back again next year to support another team that could potentially include you.
Written By Andi Bohjanen
