Royer’s annual food drive collected 2,467 pounds of non-perishable items for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and the Greater Berks Food Bank.
From June 20-27, “Royer’s Stems Hunger” asked customers to drop off donations at any of our stores. In return, donors received a free carnation for each food item, up to a maximum of six carnations per family per visit.
Also contributing was Drayer Physical Therapy Institute, which participated in the food drive for the second year in a row. Drayer’s corporate office in Hummelstown and outpatient centers in Camp Hill, Carlisle, Colonial Park, Enola, Harrisburg and Mechanicsburg collected 307 pounds.
In its five-year history, Royer’s Stems Hunger has collected nearly five tons of food.
Author: Neal
Outdoor weddings, weather and having a Plan B
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On this particular September wedding day, the misty weather presented some logistical challenges for the bride and groom.
The ceremony that had been planned for a beautiful garden had to be moved indoors on short notice. A ballroom had to be transformed into a beautiful garden setting, complete with an arch and flower-festooned aisle.
As they say, into every life some rain must fall. And it was a good reminder that weather is one variable that no one controls, no matter how good of a wedding planner he or she is.
If you want an outdoor wedding, it’s best to have a Plan B just in case. We all know how variable the weather can be in Pennsylvania, after all.
A number of years ago, the Farmers’ Almanac solicited submissions for its “Worst Wedding Weather Contest.” After Texas and Florida, Pennsylvania tied Ohio and Indiana for the most submissions.
Couples from those states “have experienced the soggiest, snowiest, windiest, most hurricane-hampered and hail-ridden wedding weather,” according to the Farmers’ Almanac.
In fact, a Philadelphia-area couple won the contest’s grand prize (a warm-weather cruise) with a tale of how a record snowfall interrupted their wedding plans.
Many factors to consider
So what should you consider when it comes to creating that Plan B for your outdoor wedding? There are many factors, none more important than the safety and well-being of the wedding couple and their guests.
An article from about.com wedding expert Nina Callaway offers “10 tips for the perfect outdoor wedding.”
Of course, we’re pretty protective of the flowers, too.
We were on hand for that misty September wedding mentioned above. Being a perishable product, flowers require a tender touch. While do-it-yourself can be tempting when it comes to flowers (and other aspects of a wedding), it’s also comforting when a professional is on hand, in good weather and bad.
A florist will ensure that your flowers look their beautiful best. Unlike the weather, this is an aspect of your wedding that you can control.
Thanks for voting Royer’s to ‘best of’ lists
Royer’s received the honors, but it’s you, our valued customers, who deserve the applause.
Thanks to you, we continue to be recognized on multiple “best of” lists compiled by area media outlets.
“We’re thrilled when we are voted the best in the communities we serve, but we’ve always stopped short of asking for someone to vote for us,” said Greg Royer, president and CEO. “We’d rather win on our everyday activities, which makes it truly an honor that our customers recognize us in these ways.”
Among this year’s honors:
“Best of Lebanon Valley”/Lebanon Daily News
Royer’s was named the top florist for the fifth year in a row.
“Best of Harrisburg”/Susquehanna Style
In its June issue, the magazine named Royer’s “best florist.”
“Best of York”/York Sunday News
This year’s survey received more than 16,000 ballots, including 5,800 in the florist category. Said the newspaper: “Looking for the perfect centerpiece for your next event oracustom arrangement for your upcoming wedding? Look no further than these favorite York-area florists. Family-owned Royer’s Flowers & Gifts is the first place winner for its wide selection and dedication to meeting customers’ needs.”
Sixth-grader Kaitlynn Balmer-Brown wins Royer’s Kids Club birthday card design contest
Kaitlynn Balmer-Brown has been dancing since age 3, studying jazz, tap and ballet. She also expresses herself through art, drawing graffiti-like designs on paper.
“She was good in art class,” said her stepmother, Emily Brown.
And she was plenty good enough to win the Royer’s Kids Club birthday card design contest.
The Lower Paxton Township sixth-grader’s drawing of a flower and balloons graces the electronic card that Royer’s Kids Club members will receive on their birthdays in the coming year. For Kaitlynn’s effort, she will receive a flower delivery on her next birthday.
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 www.royers.com/kidsclub.
We’ve developed a new Christmas arrangement, and you can name it
Santa needs a helper.
Royer’s has developed a new arrangement for the holiday season, but we need help naming it.
This is where you come in, by entering our name-the-Christmas-arrangement contest. A lucky winner will receive one of the arrangements that he or she has named.
The arrangement, in a red mason jar, will include red carnations, white alstroemeria, hypericum, tips of Douglas fir and white pine, pinecones, and shiny red stick-ins.
To enter the contest, visit royers.com/contest.
The deadline to enter is Aug. 15; limit one entry daily per email address.
Candace visits Cornwall Manor
Candace Oliver, a designer at Royer’s flagship store in Lebanon, said she enjoys making people laugh and smile and loves teaching.
She delivered on each of those counts with her June 22 visit to Cornwall Manor, an active senior living community in Lebanon County. Candace presented a flower-arranging class to Cornwall Manor residents.
“I love doing stuff like that,” Candace said. “Love it, love it, love it.”
She showed the residents how to tape a vase, creating a grid that keeps flowers standing up. Step by step, she guided them in adding greens, selecting flowers and completing their arrangements.
A Lebanon resident since age 7, Candace graduated from Lebanon High School in 1998. In November, she will celebrate her fourth anniversary with Royer’s.
Meanwhile, Cornwall Manor is celebrating her visit.
Stacia Layser, Cornwall Manor’s public relations, development and volunteer coordinator, wrote in an email to Candace:
“Your attention to detail, energy and compassion were what made this a great event for our residents. Many of them are still talking about how much fun they had and the beautiful arrangements they made.”
Royer’s Kids Club celebrates start of new school year with free event Aug. 22
Before they go back to school, they can go back to the Royer’s Kids Club.
We’ll celebrate the start of a new school year with a free kids club event Aug. 22 in each of our 16 stores.
Children ages 5 to 12 will have an opportunity to create an arrangement adorned with a “back-to-school” stick-in. Participants also will receive a free balloon.
Time slots are available at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Registration is required by calling your nearest Royer’s store.
Power of Pink: Royer’s donates $2,000 to PA Breast Cancer Coalition
With proceeds from the sale of our Power of Pink bouquet, Royer’s recently donated $2,000 to the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition.
Ten dollars from each bouquet sold is earmarked for breast cancer groups. The bouquet is available year-round.
Based in Lebanon, the PA Breast Cancer Coalition represents, supports and serves breast cancer survivors and their families in Pennsylvania through educational programming, legislative advocacy and breast cancer research grants.
Photo, Jennifer Pensinger, executive director, PA Breast Cancer Coalition, is flanked by Royer’s Barry Spengler, vice president of operations, left, and Tom Royer, senior vice president.
Royer’s donates $2,000 to nonprofit Feel Your Boobies Foundation
Royer’s recently donated $2,000 to the Feel Your Boobies Foundation.
The donation reflects proceeds from the sale of our Power of Pink bouquet, which is available year-round. With every bouquet sold, Royer’s earmarks $10 to breast cancer organizations.
A Middletown-based nonprofit, Feel Your Boobies promotes proactive breast health in young women. The foundation’s college outreach program provides free breast health education materials to nearly 200 college health centers in 38 states.
Photo from left: Barry Spengler, vice president of operations, Royer’s; Leigh Hurst, founder/president, Feel Your Boobies Foundation; Tom Royer, senior vice president, Royer’s.
Watch Fox 43’s Amy Lutz make an arrangement in less than a minute
For someone who claims not to have a green thumb, Fox 43 Morning News’ Amy Lutz got the hang of floral arranging pretty quickly.
“How do you know where to put them?” she asked Barry Spengler, Royer’s vice president of operations, as he handed her cut carnations, daisies and roses.
“Well, that’s the beauty of it,” Barry said. “There is no right or wrong to it.”
Barry returned to Fox 43 to talk about Royer’s fifth annual “Stems Hunger” food drive to benefit the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and the Greater Berks Food Bank. A Royer’s Kids Club event will help to kick off the food drive, which runs June 20-27.
Children ages 5 to 12 will get to do what Lutz did: make a floral arrangement in an empty food can.
She wasn’t entirely satisfied with her work, but Barry insisted that once she placed a flower in the can, she had to leave it.
“What if it doesn’t fit right?” she said.
“It looks wonderful,” he said. “It’s in the eye of the beholder.”
You can view the full segment here: