Lancaster County’s Paige Hershey didn’t sit idle during the pandemic.
For one thing, the East Lampeter Township 12-year-old got busy entering contests. One was for photography, another for writing.
“She’s just driven,” said Paige’s mother, Heather.
That drive led to success for the seventh-grader. Paige had the winning entry in this year’s Royer’s Flowers & Gifts Kids Club birthday card design contest.
Her design will adorn the electronic card that kids club members will receive on their birthdays in the coming year. Paige’s prize is a free flower delivery on her next birthday.
Paige, one of five siblings, loves to draw (mainly horses) and read, Heather said. Paige plays field hockey and basketball and swims.
“She’s a really fun kiddo,” her mother said.
The Royer’s Kids Club is free to ages 5 to 12. With parental permission, children may register for the kids club at any Royer’s store or online at royers.com/kidsclub. Kids club benefits include a membership card, online activities, a quarterly e-mail newsletter, contests and events.
Category: Community involvement
You name it, you win it: Royer’s new arrangement
Every year for various reasons, Royer’s Flowers reworks approximately half of its arrangements.
This year, one of those makeovers is the focus of Royer’s annual name-the-arrangement contest.
This design features a clear dimple vase filled with sunflowers, carnations, daisy poms and charmelia, with accents of golden solidago and purple asters. It’s only lacking a name.
To view the arrangement and enter the contest, visit royers.com/contest. Limit one entry daily per email address, through Aug. 6.
The person who submits the winning name will receive the arrangement (retail value $49.99) as a prize.
Royer’s Flowers donates $3,000 to Helping Harvest Food Bank
For every dollar donated, Helping Harvest can acquire $20 worth of food to help people in need in Berks and Schuylkill counties.
By that measure, the food bank will leverage a $3,000 donation from Royer’s Flowers & Gifts into $60,000 worth of food.
Tom Royer, president and CEO of Lebanon-based Royer’s, said the donation reflects his family-owned company’s gratitude for the support it has received during the pandemic. Royer’s 16 stores include Reading, Shillington and Wernersville in Berks County.
“We had to reinvent our company, and at times it was a painful process,” Royer said, “but our strong team’s dedication and hard work enabled us to come through this as a better company. It is our privilege to give back to our communities and help families that are struggling to put food on the table.”
Doug Long is director of development for Helping Harvest, which he said “is extremely grateful for the continued support and generosity of Royer’s Flowers and Gifts. In the past year, we have seen the need for food assistance in our community skyrocket. Thankfully, because of concerned supporters like Royer’s, we have been able to ensure that no family needs to go hungry during these difficult times.”
Royer’s Flowers funds 90,000 meals with $15,000 donation to Central PA Food Bank
Every dollar donated to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank can provide six nutritious meals to people in need.
By that measure, Royer’s Flowers & Gifts will fund 90,000 meals with its $15,000 donation to the Harrisburg-based food bank, which serves 27 counties.
Of its 16 stores overall, family-owned Royer’s operates 13 (including one Stephenson’s Flowers & Gifts store in Harrisburg) in the food bank’s market region.
Tom Royer, president and CEO of Lebanon-based Royer’s, said the donations reflect the company’s gratitude for the support it has received during the pandemic.
“We had to reinvent our company, and at times it was a painful process,” Royer said, “but our strong team’s dedication and hard work enabled us to come through this as a better company. It is our privilege to give back to our communities and help families that are struggling to put food on the table.”
Joe Arthur is executive director of the food bank.
“We are grateful for the support of Royer’s Flowers & Gifts,” Arthur said. “As we transition into the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, this donation will help us provide healthy, nutritious food to those families, children, seniors and veterans who are still working to get back on their feet in the wake of the health and economic crisis.”
For more information about the food bank, visit centralpafoodbank.org.
Royer’s Flowers presents American Red Cross with thousands of holiday cards for area veterans
Because of the generosity of our customers, Royer’s Flowers & Gifts has presented some 2,500 holiday cards and coloring pages to the American Red Cross for distribution to area veterans.
Royer’s, which has participated in the Red Cross “Holidays for Heroes” program for nearly a decade, collected the cards in each of its stores throughout November.
The items will be distributed to veterans at the Lebanon VA Medical Center and at area retirement facilities.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this year’s Holidays for Heroes.
Photo: From left, Jonathan Glenn, regional program director, American Red Cross, and Barry Spengler, chief administrative officer, Royer’s Flowers & Gifts.
Royer’s Flowers donates $1,000 to Clare House in Lancaster
Royer’s Flowers & Gifts has donated $1,000 to the non-profit Clare House in Lancaster.
Family-owned Royer’s donates $10 to women’s charities for every purchase of its Admiration arrangement, which is available year-round.
Clare House’s mission is to transform the lives of women and their children through an employment-focused program providing safety, housing and supportive services with the goal of financial stability. Clare House celebrated its 40th anniversary this year.
Photo: Geoff Royer, vice president of central operations, left, and Tom Royer, CEO, of Royer’s Flowers & Gifts, with Brittany Garner, board member, Clare House.
Royer’s Flowers saluting veterans with free red, white and blue bouquets Nov. 11
Royer’s Flowers & Gifts will continue an annual tradition when it honors veterans with free patriotic bouquets on Nov. 11.
The bouquets – featuring a red carnation, a white carnation and a blue bow – will be available in-store only at any of Royer’s 16 locations in Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties.
Royer’s employees and customers are required to wear masks for their safety as part of the effort to combat COVID-19.
“We always look forward to Veterans Day and the opportunity to show our appreciation for the men and women who have selflessly served our country,” said Tom Royer, CEO of Royer’s.
Non-veterans may purchase the bouquet for $1.90.
Royer’s collecting holiday cards and coloring pages for service members and veterans
Royer’s Flowers & Gifts is collecting holiday cards and coloring pages for service members and veterans throughout November in each of its stores.
Royer’s will present the collected items to the American Red Cross “Holidays for Heroes” program.
Cards and coloring pages may be dropped off (masks are required) at any Royer’s store during normal business hours.
Free coloring pages can be downloaded at royers.com/heroes.
The Red Cross offers these guidelines for preparing cards:
- Use generic salutations: “Dear Service Member” or “Dear Veteran”
- Be thoughtful with messages, expressing reasons why you are thankful for the service members/veterans; if you have a personal connection, such as a family member who served, consider adding that
- Try not to be overtly religious, but messages such as “Merry Christmas” or “God Bless You” are acceptable
- Do not include inserts such as glitter, photos, business cards
- Do not include personal information such as telephone number, address or email
- Sign your name
The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.
Royer’s Flowers donates $1,000 to Power of the Purse in Berks County
Royer’s Flowers & Gifts has donated $1,000 to the Berks County Community Foundation’s Power of the Purse program for women.
Family-owned Royer’s donates $10 to women’s charities for every purchase of its Admiration arrangement, which is available year-round.
Begun by a group of women in 2012, Power of the Purse pools individual donations and awards grants to area nonprofits that work to improve the lives of local women and children.
Photo: Geoff Royer, vice president of central operations, left, and Tom Royer, CEO, of Royer’s Flowers & Gifts, with Rochelle Grey, steering committee, Power of the Purse in Berks County.
‘Checkered Harvest’ winning entry in Royer’s name-the-arrangement contest
Lori Macchi describes herself as a “fall weather person.”
“I’ll take that season any day,” she said.
Macchi’s fondness for fall and flowers made her a prime candidate to enter Royer’s contest to name a mounded pumpkin arrangement.
Her entry, Checkered Harvest, was selected as the winner among more than 1,400 online submissions received Sept. 14-18. Macchi’s prize is one of the arrangements.
The all-around arrangement measures 11.5 inches high, 13 inches long and 12 inches wide. It features a six-inch white ceramic pumpkin, country buffalo gingham bow, roses, alstroemeria, carnations, poms and hypericum.
Click here if you’d like to order a Checkered Harvest arrangement.