The Gypsy Bloom Flower Truck made a special delivery to Wildrose Manor in Grande Prairie, courtesy of Rene Blais and RB Oilfield Hauling (Photo: Angie Gourlie)

By Shaun Penner

"Such a special moment"

Flower truck gets bought up for residents of Grande Prairie seniors’ home

Aug 28, 2020 | 9:59 AM

Residents of Wildrose Manor in Grande Prairie received a very special surprise on Thursday afternoon from the Gypsy Bloom Flower Truck, courtesy of Rene Blais and RB Oilfield Hauling.

The truck made the stop after Blais purchased an entire truck load of fresh cut flowers for the residents of a seniors’ home to pick a bouquet for their rooms, as a way to spread some positivity amid continued COVID-19 restrictions at care facilities.

Owner of Gypsy Bloom Flower Truck, Joline Willsey, says Blais approached her this past Saturday about buying up the truck load of flowers to give away.

“At the beginning, I wasn’t sure if he was serious,” recalled Willsey, who was taken back by the generosity.

“I followed up with him after that, and he was like ‘Yeah, I’m really serious and I want to do this’.”

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Willsey says she then got in touch with Wildrose Manor, where her grandparents once lived before they passed away. She says after getting in touch with the management team there, they were quickly onboard with the plan.

The truck made its delivery on Thursday afternoon to an eagerly awaiting group of residents. Willsey says she could quickly see the excitement residents had.

“Just the smiles on their faces said so much. They were so grateful and thoughtful, and just so happy to come out,” said Willsey. “I mean, with everything going on, they haven’t been allowed to have a lot of visitors, they don’t really have much interaction with the outside world.”

Willsey adds that she got just as much joy out of it as the residents did, as she helped put together the custom bouquets for the residents to take back to their rooms.

“Just seeing what flowers they were choosing, and them putting it all together, it was just such a special moment.”

She expressed her gratitude for Blais and RB Oilfield Hauling for the generosity, saying there could be another special delivery in the works. Willsey adds that she would be more than happy if others approached her about doing something similar.

“I hope it kind of catches on. I can definitely do more. It just brightens their day, for sure.”