Avon Youngsters Seek to “Bee the Change” Through Flower Sale

AVON -- A pair of young Avon residents are raising awareness of the plight of pollinators by selling homegrown flowers.

Maggie and Addie Backes are hosting "Bee the Change Bouquets" Saturday at the Gathering Grounds coffee shop in Avon. With a little help from their mother Rebecca, the girls are assembling hand-cut bouquets featuring a mixture of pollinator-friendly blooms to sell to the public.

Rebecca, an avid gardener and the mother of Maggie, 6 and Addie, 4, says her daughters enjoy spending time outdoors on the family's large, rural property.

“They’re outside all the time," she said. "They’re very aware of their surroundings and always watching and identifying things - butterflies, bees. They’re very inquisitive and very resourceful problem-solvers. It’s very exciting to see this type of spirit in them."

Over the past winter, Rebecca says the girls enjoyed reading books about gardens, plants and pollinating insects. They were inspired to plan their own garden-related project when they spotted their mom's seed catalogs.

“They went through (the catalogs) and started circling things," Rebecca said. "They really wanted to plant a pollinator garden. Then Maggie said, ‘but, the bees are in trouble. I want to help them. What can I do?’ She was very concerned about them. And I told her to think about things she can do.”

"She said, ‘I can grow flowers and sell bouquets.' And, we thought that was a great idea,” she added.

Rebecca says each bouquet will be unique and will feature any number of 10 different types of flowers, many of which were grown by the girls over the summer. Some bouquets will be sold in mason jars.

“I’m letting the girls arrange them themselves,” Rebecca said. "They’re going to tell me what they want to include in each bouquet so they have a personal touch.”

The proceeds, Rebecca says, will go toward either creating a pollinator garden at Avon Elementary, or purchasing books about garden-related topics for classrooms. Rebecca says the amount of public enthusiasm for Bee the Change Bouquets has been exciting for her - and her girls.

“I wasn’t expecting so many people to be so excited about this,” she said. “It’s very encouraging to see all the interest.”

Bee the Change Bouquets will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. - or until bouquets last - in the Gathering Grounds parking lot. The girls will only accept cash, and prices will vary depending on bouquet.

Visit the Bee the Change Facebook page to learn more.