ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Don Cesar has always been known as “The Pink Palace,” and this weekend, it's really earning that nickname as they hold their first Blossoms of Hope event in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Erica Holland will be showing guests how to make floral arrangements. She learned about the powers of flowers while living in Bali.
“Just fell in love with how the island used flowers all over, in their ceremonies, in their traditions, it’s such a beautiful artistic way, I was like, ‘I need to learn more and be immersed in this more,’” said Holland.
Holland said everyone enjoys receiving flowers, but putting them together is where the real magic happens.
“It was so therapeutic and so relaxing and stress relieving that I realized, ‘Oh my God, why haven’t I ever done this before, and why are more people not doing it as like a hobby or an activity,’ you don’t have to be a florist,” said Holland.
She began her own business in St. Pete, The Roaming Petal, going into homes, offices, and events, holding workshops teaching people how to make floral arrangements.
“It’s really not hard, you don’t have to be creative, you don’t have to be a florist, it’s really just some basic like simple tips and tricks and steps that you can follow,” said Holland. “Seeing the joy and smiles when they leave with such a beautiful piece they created that they never thought they would be able to create is really just so heartwarming.”
Holland is now bringing her petals into The Don Cesar for their first Blossoms of Hope event to raise money and awareness for a condition very personal to her family: breast cancer.
“So my mom is actually an 18-year breast cancer survivor, so I was about 10 when she got diagnosed originally, and it was really, really scary. I remember when she first got diagnosed and kind of going through that,” said Holland. “I’ve always had a mission that when I started my own company, I wanted to do something to give back to breast cancer because it’s been such a big part of my life since I was a child.”
Jeff Homad, Director of Sales and Marketing with The Don Cesar, said the hotel likes working with local businesses and holding events for a good cause, so this seemed like the perfect partnership. A portion of the money raised will be donated to the Moffitt Cancer Center.
“There are so many people who have fought this fight and have overcome it, which is a huge thing, and there are others who haven’t, so I think when you have an opportunity to give back to the community, you need to do so,” said Homad.
Staying true to the hotel's tradition and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, pink will be at the heart of the workshop.
“So we are going to be using pink roses, we’re going to be using pink berries, pink carnations, all to kind of bring that together, bring that to life, to spread that hope and joy and positivity that we want from this Breast Cancer Awareness Month and event that we are having,” said Holland.
For more information and tickets to the event, go to www.doncesar.com.
For more information on Erica Holland and The Roaming Petal, go to www.theroamingpetal.com.
