Scholarships

Moo Kho Paw was born in a small village in Burma, where her family farmed for generations before the Burmese army clashed with her Karen ethnic group. The family escaped the violence by fleeing to a refugee camp in Thailand. “I spent my teen years in the camp, hoping one day I would go home, but that was not the case,” she said. “We didn’t have enough food, so we started growing food in the backyard, and there was always a spot for flowers. Helping my mom in her garden distracted me from bad things happening around me.”

In 2007, Moo Kho moved her mother to North Carolina. “My mom started farming at Transplanting Traditions, a non-profit farm for refugees,” she said. “I helped my mom out and realized that I love farming. We farm alongside other families from Burma, just like home. I got a part-time job running the greenhouse, and then I decided to grow flowers, because there were vegetables but no flowers. Last year, I started selling bouquets at the farmer’s market, and customers loved them. This year, I grew flowers for 15 CSA members and continued to sell out at market. My customers are happy and want more flowers. Growing flowers heals my body and mind.”

Mike Bolio runs a therapeutic farming and gardening program for adults with autism and developmental disabilities as part of the Horticulture Program at the Charles River Center. Individuals involved in the program grow and tend produce and flowers, care for farm animals, and interact with the natural environment. Through their involvement in the program, participants improve fine and gross motor skills, develop team-building and communication skills, and have valuable opportunities for increased social interaction.

Since completing the Floret Online Workshop, Mike has started a side business, NightBloom Floral Design, while also helping the Charles River Center expand its flower production and create a bouquet subscription program in the community. “The flower CSA was a big first step into turning the farming program into a business and allowed us to turn what used to be a volunteer job into a paying job for the individuals that attend the program.”

As a teenager, Farah bought flower bulbs when most of her peers were buying makeup. Feeling trapped by a career she described as “dark and disappointing,” and in an effort to avoid a slow descent into depression, Farah made the decision to leave her job and follow her lifelong passion for flowers.

“This scholarship has changed my life. Period. As I sow my seeds this autumn, I also sow hope of a brighter future come spring, when I can be the first cut flower farmer/florist in Jordan. Because this region of the world has long been plagued with war and pain, NOW is the time for cultivating hope and beauty around us through positive energy. Here in Jordan, where one-fifth of the population are refugees, flowers have been thought of as a luxury item for too long. My long-term vision is to produce masses of locally grown flowers at a fraction of the cost of imported ones, making flowers a daily treat available to all.”

In 2016, Flint, Michigan garnered headlines worldwide after tests revealed the city’s water was tainted with dangerous levels of lead. In a hard hit city where at least 40% of its residents live below the poverty line, the water crisis raised serious questions about the potential long-term health impacts. While some families decided to move away from Flint, Janie Beuthin buried her roots even deeper into her hometown.Alongside her husband and three children, Janie created Twig End Farm, a small urban flower farm on two city lots acquired through the city’s Adopt-A-Lot program near the heart of downtown Flint.

“I am rooted to this place; with every seed I put into the soil, with every plant I divide, I’m creating change. Flint thirsts for beauty without adding to the planet’s burden. What I give back to this city is flowers and through them joy, magic, beauty, and healing. I want to bring to Flint as much good as I can; to nourish the soil, help its people flourish.”

Janie’s urban farm now supplies flowers to florists and local shops and also offers a bouquet subscription program.

“The Floret Online Workshop took my dream of a small urban flower farm and helped turn it into reality. It laid a solid foundation which I’ll be building on for many years to come.Just three months after the class ended, I met nearly all of the goals I set for myself.”