Photo: Amy Sonnek
Stillwater resident Amy Sonnek was feeling disconnected from her community during COVID-19 when she found an opportunity to bloom. “I was searching online and somehow came across this Growing Kindness Project,” Sonnek says. The nonprofit has a mission to empower people to spread joy in their community through flowers.
“It’s a very simple, small but mighty mission,” Sonnek says. “The main goal of it is to give flowers in kindness, just to brighten someone’s day.” She applied to be an ambassador in 2021 and, once accepted, received training on building a cut flower garden. Now, Sonnek has four raised beds in her backyard filled with cosmos, dahlias, sunflowers and zinnias.
Sonnek, a special education paraprofessional at Stonebridge Elementary, will often bring these bouquets to the school, area nursing homes and even benches at nearby parks. Four years on, Sonnek is a regional captain for the nonprofit. “There’s just something magical about giving flowers in kindness and just seeing the looks on people’s faces,” Sonnek says. “You might not have any idea how much they needed it.”
Growing Kindness Project
hello@growingkindnessproject.org
Facebook: The Growing Kindness Project
Instagram: @growingkindnessproject
