Christmas is now less than a month away and Floral Garage Singapore has begun a really exciting project aimed to help a certain group of under privileged children in Africa. At the same time, we hope this would be an opportunity for you to remember the significant individuals of your life that you have always forgotten. By putting a smile on their faces, you will also put a smile on many more.

We have prepared two different set of texts, a short speed read for those on the go who do not have much free time, and a detailed read, for those who would like to find out more about what we are doing!

SPEEDREAD (for DETAILED READ, see below):

Treat your Loved Ones to a Beautiful and Affordable Gift this Christmas – and at the same time, know that you are responsible for bringing a smile to an underprivileged child in Africa. (We urge you to read the DETAILED READ as well)

This Christmas, we are collaborating with Cotlands – a non-profit early childhood development organisation. Our most popular product is the Freestyle Bouquet that is available at just 29.90 SGD. For the period of 25 November 2015 to 25 December 2015, we will be using all profits earned from every sale of the Freestyle bouquet to purchase Christmas gifts for the children under the care of Cotlands. A wish list has been generated by Cotlands and us. We will wire them the money needed to purchase the items in need and they will purchase it for us. Images from the results of the campaign will be published as well. Should the total profits from the sales of our Freestyle Bouquet be unable to cover the total cost of the gifts, we will top up the amount with our personal funds.

DETAILED READ:

Christmas – as we know it

Children in Singapore are often reminded that Christmas is nearing when the malls they enter play familiar Christmas carols and display an extensive amount of decorations. It is common for them anticipate in great excitement, the gifts they will receive. As we become older, most of us might feel the magic of Christmas would slowly fade away. But for the young children, it will always be something to look forward to.

Although Christmas is supposed to be a religious celebration associated with Christianity, many non-Christians have developed a liking from partaking in the joy of giving and receiving. Unfortunately, not all children experience the joy of Christmas the same way an average Singaporean child would.

When we buy presents for our loved ones during this festive season, let us pause to think if there is anyone we are missing out. It could be your helper who goes the extra mile in service just so she can make your life better, or it could be the unappreciated janitor from your office who is always overlooked by everyone. This Christmas, let us remember the people that truly matter to society and our lives.

Meet the Children of Cotlands

Cotlands is a non-profit early childhood development organisation in Africa. They focus on the education and social crisis in Africa by organising early learning playgroups and toy libraries in under-resourced communities.

Cotlands was initially founded in 1936 as a haven for abandoned babies. It began one night when a baby was left abandoned at the doorstep of Matron Dorothy Reece’s home in Mayfair, Johannesburg. She decided to take the infant in to care for it and this single act of kindness sparked the beginning of something huge.

Cotland’s Vision: To see children in South Africa thrive in their formative years.

Cotland’s Mission: Cotlands provides children with effective, high impact health, psychosocial and early learning play based development opportunities to help them thrive.

Cotlands now operate in 5 provinces – Gauteng, Kwazulu Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Mpumalanga. Since their establishment, they have reached out and been a beacon of hope to thousands of vulnerable children. They currently provide a range of services to more than 8000 beneficiaries nationally in South Africa.

Why Did We Choose Cotlands?

Cotlands is one of the most transparent non-profit organisations in South Africa. They have just won their 4th award for transparent reporting. Click here to read more about it.

What Is Floral Garage Singapore Going To Do? How Is It To Be Done?

Our Most Popular Product

We are happy to announce that the Freestyle Bouquet is the most popular product that we have. For some months, we have managed to nearly hit 70 orders of Freestyle Bouquets alone. For a small online establishment like us, we feel that it is a decently sized volume.

For those who do not know what the Freestyle Bouquet is, here is a brief summary of what it is. For 29.90 SGD, customers can enjoy a beautiful randomly created bouquet, based on your relationship of the recipient, and the occasion. Customers cannot customise it by selecting what they would like (though we always try our best to accommodate), but they can state what we should avoid. For example, if a male is giving it to a platonic female friend, the usual request is to avoid red roses as it would seem too romantic.

Profits from Our Most Popular Product to the Children of Cotlands

Now that you know what it is, do you think it will be a great gift for your loved ones? Well if the answer is yes, and if you are going to be getting it, we are happy to let you know that by purchasing this bouquet, you will be indirectly responsible for bringing a smile to some of the faces of the underprivileged children of South Africa. Simply because from the period of 25 November 2015 to 25 December 2015, we will be using all profits from the sale of our Freestyle Bouquets to purchase gifts for the children under the care of Cotlands. We hope that this small gesture will bring them a meaningful and happy Christmas.

Together with the Cotlands, we have generated a wish list that consists of items that would benefit the children directly. Shipping to South Africa from Singapore will be expensive and we do not wish to waste any funds on shipping. Therefore, we will be wiring funds over to trusted members of Cotlands, and they will then help us to purchase the gifts locally. Images will be taken after the campaign and we will gladly publish it online.

What if there is a Surplus of Funds?

Should there be excess money after purchasing all the gifts that we have planned to buy, we will donate it to Cotlands in cash.

What if there is a Shortage?

Should there be a shortage, we will top up the amount needed to purchase all the gifts with our personal funds.

Our Hope

We hope that this tiny act of kindness can act of kindness can achieve two objectives:

1.) To create greater awareness of what the children in South Africa go through daily. Most of us fortunate Singaporeans know they do not have it easy. We hope to offer a greater insight on what really happens, and to also show that there is hope through beautiful organisations such as Cotlands. We hope that through this, we can somehow establish a donor base in Singapore. This would inevitably cultivate us to be more compassionate individuals. It will help us count our blessings and appreciate life like we should.

2.) To help Singaporeans remember the forgotten and unsung heroes of our local community. During every festive season, we usually get gifts for the ones we love. But more often than not, we forget those that we should truly remember. Sometimes, we even remember those that are ‘not worth it’ as we normally become blinded by physical beauty or social status. This unsung hero could be the office janitor that makes each working day of yours a happy one by greeting you with a smile and a clean environment, or it could be the coffee shop cleaner that goes the extra mile just to always be overlooked.

Here is an example of one of our many Freestyle Bouquets:

 If You Do Not Wish to Purchase from Us

It is perfectly alright if you already have gift ideas this Christmas. You can always feel free to donate directly through Cotlands by clicking here.

There are many ways to make a donation, you can always choose the method you are most comfortable with 🙂

That’s all from us! Happy Holidays! Take Care and Have a Meaningful Christmas 🙂