The JCCC Floral Design Club isn’t just about creating pretty flowers. According to the club advisor, there’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes, right up until the flowers are ready for display.
“The Valentine’s Day event this year at JCCC was a success,” said Natalie Goodwin, program chair for the Floral Design Program and faculty adviser for the club. “ It did better than I thought we were going to do,” she said.
The club hosts sales for the holidays in order to raise funds, especially for Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Administrative Day, and Mother’s Day.
The club has also created all of the flower arrangements for the JCCC Presidential Dinners hosted by Dr. Andy Bowne, Goodwin said. They have also made arrangements for the Some Enchanted Evening Gala for the Board and Foundation of JCCC.
When preparing for events, students learn to order merchandise, market for a sale, organize orders for a sale, and conduct the sales, Goodwin said.
“The students have to have a business mind,” Goodwin said, adding that they need to be good with numbers as well as flowers. Designing is only 10% of the process; you need to be both strategic and creative, she added.
“It’s an experience for them from start to finish,” Goodwin said.
An upcoming event for the club is their vase drive, going on now until the middle of April with the help of faculty, staff, and students, they are collecting used vases for Unexpected Blooms. A local non-profit organization that makes arrangements for hospice houses, hospitals, and nursing homes, Goodwin said.
The club is also currently working on an exhibit in the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art at JCCC, planning to make flower installations inspired by the current exhibit inside of the Nerman. The first installation will be up in a couple of weeks, and it will be ready for viewing after spring break, Goodwin said.
The club is open to students who are currently enrolled in the floral design program. For more information on the club, Floral Design Club page.
Julia Wiest, student reporter