2020 Postcard from Palm Springs
Highlights from the 2020 CHDI HD Therapeutics Conference are now here! This year’s Postcard covers HTT-lowering therapeutics, including an
Read more
Karen Koester’s Magical Amaryllis Touch
For Southern Alberta Chapter Amaryllis Coordinator Karen Koest
er, the amaryllis flower represents perseverance. It’s an apt analogy for a campaign and community that faced the unexpected challenges of 2020. And yet like the flower that blooms without fail, the chapter once again had a banner year – the best since 2009.
Karen and the Southern Alberta Chapter sold 129 cases of amaryllis, amounting to $23,220, not including associated donations, which likely added thousands more.
“We weren’t sure how Covid would affect our sales, but it seemed to have a surprisingly positive impact. People had more time at home and typical holiday shopping was difficult. Amaryllis to the rescue!” says Karen. “We all know (and now more ‘new’ people know, as well) that they make a great gift and our saying is: once you buy one and watch it bloom, you’re hooked! Next year you’ll be back and buying a couple more for friends and family.”
When asked about how to mimic the success her chapter achieves, Karen has a variety of suggestions, including:
- Use your networks and target people you know: In the past, people sold at their workplaces, or to sports teams or other organizations they were involved with. Gift a flower to a dentist or a school secretary and then ask to put up a flyer in their public spaces.
- Spark a competition: Karen once gave an amaryllis to one person in an office. This sparked a multi-year office tradition with management gifting an amaryllis to each employee. An “amaryllis competition” ensued, with employees naming their plants, playing music for them, and even using blankets or fans to keep the temperature just so. The gifting of the amaryllis and the competition extended to a second office. That one plant that Karen gifted led to four cases being purchased every year – and a lot of fun team building. This year competitions even thrived online.
- Build community: Community works in two ways. First, it helps to have a whole team working to sell the amaryllis. Karen emphasizes that she doesn’t do it all herself – it is a team effort. Second, sharing an amaryllis bulb with someone else builds community, spreads beauty, and will likely result in a ‘reaping what you sow” benefit as more people want to share the love.
- Advice for Newer Chapters: Karen suggests that newer chapters could devise a plan with a core group of volunteers, each reaching out to their own personal network of friends, family and coworkers. Within the core, dividing responsibilities often works well. For example, one individual could take on initial delivery and distribute the cases to others (using a spreadsheet to track who got what and when). Another could act as the campaign treasurer to track the money. Perhaps another could approach a few local businesses for sales or to display a poster. Another could compile a contact list of people with email and phone numbers. It feels like a huge job, but splitting the campaign into tasks would make it feel more manageable for a new chapter.
Looping back to the idea of perseverance, Karen marvels at the beauty of the amaryllis flowers and the high quality of the bulbs. “They’re so easy to grow – it’s always wonderful to hear about someone’s experience growing them for the first time, because they don’t know what to expect from this little bulb,” she comments. “And then this amazing plant blossoms – it really reminds me of the people in the HD community. It’s a kind of unexpected happiness and enjoyment, whether from a plant or from life.”
Build a team, build a community. Gift an amaryllis, gift beauty. Spread the joy, spread the love. We can’t wait to see what 2021’s Amaryllis Campaign delivers!
Download the 2021 Spring Horizon newsletter – click here.