new marketing ideas for prom and Mother’s Day flowers, showing how valuable these exchanges can be for both students and industry profession- als, Pacheco says. Throughout Green Career Week,


businesses and organizations will partner with schools, colleges and uni- versities, offering facility tours, hands-on demonstrations, mentoring sessions and classroom discussions. Seed Your Future provides turnkey resources — including outreach templates, activity guides, and promotional materials — to help busi- nesses easily engage with students. “It is so important that students


know about the careers offered in horti- culture and floriculture because we need to ease the labor challenge in our indus- tries with smart, tech-savvy workers,”


says Jazmin Albarran, executive direc- tor of Seed Your Future. “Our turnkey resources make it so easy for businesses to participate.” While the event is officially rec-


ognized twice a year — in March and again from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, 2025 — Albarran encourages businesses to use the resources year-round. “The idea behind having a desig-


nated Green Career Week is to create high levels of participation, which helps maximize awareness of careers in our industry and possibly get media atten- tion,” she says. “But if that time frame doesn’t work for your business or your local schools, you can simply pick a time frame that does.” Visit seedyourfuture.org/green- career-week for more information.


CULTIVATING CAREERS Fernando Ortega, sales manager at Jet Fresh Flower Distributors, visited a Miami-area high school last fall to talk about career options in the floral industry as part of Green Career Week.


FLORAL COMPANIES ORGANIZE FOR CALIFORNIA FIRE RELIEF


> In the weeks following the wildfires in Los Angeles, businesses in the flo- ral industry organized to help support relief efforts. The Wonderful Company, which


owns Teleflora, announced it was donating $10 million to support first responders, both firefighters and police, with donations expected to expand over time to help with broader relief efforts. The company also announced it would double all fire-related donations made by its 10,000 employees across the world. Other industry efforts supported


the AIFD Foundation Catastrophic Fund,


which helps industry professionals who have experienced a catastrophic loss, including from natural disasters, says AIFD Foundation CEO Lynn McLean, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, TMF. In recent years, the fund has


replaced computers, repaired signs, replaced shelving and display fixtures, assisted with basic interior needs to reopen and provided money to be used toward insurance deductibles, McLean says. CalFlowers (the California


Association of Flower Growers and Shippers) pledged to match up to


$10,000 in donations to the fund, and the Texas State Florists’ Association also made a donation to the fund. Alabama Smilax pledged to


donate 10% of its February revenues to the fund, says Jordan Prosser, who works in sales and business development for the company. With encouragement from his company leaders, Prosser also asked for dona- tions from other companies. “Florists are such a compassion-


ate group of people, and this is a time when we can come together and really show our support for the industry,” Prosser says. His determination is driven in part


by living through hurricanes in his hometown of Tampa, Florida. He’s seen destroyed businesses and homes and understands that the recovery and rebuilding effort is a long process. “We’ve seen it on the East Coast,


and it’s time we help our friends on the other coast,” he says. “I’m just trying to get the ball rolling by getting our com- pany’s commitment and then seeing who will jump on with us.”


RALLYING FOR RELIEF Firefighters battle the Eaton fire as it burns east of Los Angeles in January. Floral businesses have pledged donations to help support relief efforts.


Amanda Jedlinsky is the senior director of content and communications for the Society of American Florists and the editor in chief of Floral Management.


The magazine of the Society of American Florists (SAF) 39


SHUTTERSTOCK/RINGO CHIU


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