Community Impact · Charity in Bloom

$1,706.25 for Renown Child Life:
What Happens When a Community Rallies

By Sara Fiannaca

Asking for help is never easy.

It is especially vulnerable in the middle of summer, a time when everyone is unplugged, schedules are scattered, and asking people to pause and rally for a fundraiser feels a little like shouting into the wind. But when we launched this Charity in Bloom campaign for the Renown Child Life Program, staying quiet was never an option. This cause was entirely too personal.

So on August 6th, seeing that we were falling behind where we wanted to be, I sent out an honest cry for help across our social feeds and email. I laid it out bare: we needed our community to step in, because this mission meant too much to let it slip through the cracks.

And boy, did Northern Nevada answer.

To see that final total cross $1,700 means the world to our team. In the world of Child Life, that isn't just an abstract number on a check. That represents real, tangible comfort: specialized medical play dolls that take the fear out of a procedure, bedside sensory toys for a child in isolation, and the supplies these specialists rely on every single day to bring peace into a chaotic hospital room.

What moved me most wasn't just the final total, but how our community made it happen.

Giving was never just about who could pull out a credit card. We know firsthand that not everyone has room in their budget to buy a $180 flower arrangement or add extra cash at checkout, especially right now. But so many people gave something just as powerful: they shared our story.

Friends, family, and local community partners forwarded emails, reposted our reels, and texted the link to their own circles. That ripple effect is real. That very weekend after our appeal went live, an anonymous donor stepped forward with a $400 contribution to help us reach our goal. That happened because someone took thirty seconds to share a story with their friends.

Inside our flower shop, our own team took it personally, too. Danna on our staff took the absolute cake. She talked to customers, shared why this program mattered, and single-handedly sold the highest number of arrangements and raised the most money on our entire team. When you have team members who care that much about the people walking through our doors, it elevates everything we do. That kind of heart and ownership is rare, and I couldn't be prouder of this crew.

The Part Nobody Tells You About the Hospital

Several weeks ago, I shared a vulnerable blog post called Why We Support the Renown Child Life Team. In it, I talked about something I had never discussed publicly before: September 2021, when our three-year-old son was hospitalized with RSV and pneumonia, my husband Andy was admitted to the same hospital with the same thing, and I was quietly miscarrying in the hallway between their rooms.

In that moment of total survival mode, the Child Life Specialists stepped in, took over my son's room with toys and patience, and gave me an hour to just breathe.

After that story went out, something unexpected happened. A lot of people came up to me in the shop and around town. Over and over, they told me the exact same thing:

People know hospitals have brilliant doctors who fix biology and wonderful nurses who monitor vitals. But almost nobody realizes there is an entire department of miracle workers whose whole job is making sure the human spirit does not break while the body is healing.

It takes a rare, extraordinary kind of person to do what Child Life Specialists do. They are the teachers and translators who take sterile medical equipment, cold needles, and terrifying procedures, and turn them into something soft, relatable, and gentle. They use medical play dolls and toys so even the tiniest three-year-old can understand what is happening and feel safe.

And here is the piece that surprised almost everyone I talked to: they do not just care for the sick kid in the hospital bed.

They also step in for healthy kids who are visiting a parent or loved one. Imagine being six years old and walking into an ICU room to see your mom or dad hooked up to monitors, tubes, and machines. It can be traumatizing. The Child Life team meets those kids beforehand. They explain what the machines do in words a first-grader can grasp, softening the shock so that a child's love for their parent is not swallowed by fear.

When we presented the check to the Child Life team, I honestly do not think I have ever met a group of more appreciative people.

Yes, they were grateful for the funds. But what moved them the most was that this campaign raised genuine awareness for what a Child Life Specialist actually does. For a team that does so much heavy lifting behind closed hospital doors, simply being seen and understood by their own community meant the world to them.

And they shared something that made me so excited for the future of healthcare in Northern Nevada: with the recent announcement that Renown will be building a brand-new standalone Children's Hospital, even more Child Life Specialists will be needed right here in our community.

So if you (or someone you know) are heading to college, thinking about starting school, or wondering what your major should be: I would highly recommend exploring a career as a Child Life Specialist. If you want a career where you can turn scary things soft and change a child's life on their hardest day, our community is going to need you.

Why We Do This

People sometimes ask why we put so much energy into Charity in Bloom. The honest answer? Our flower shop is here to create moments, but the non-profits in Northern Nevada are the ones who quietly keep the wheels turning.

They are the safety nets when life falls apart. They are the people who show up when families have nothing left to give.

The biggest joy of this campaign was not just handing over a check for $1,706.25, though that felt amazing. The biggest joy was shining a bright, unapologetic light on an unsung team in our community who deserved to be seen.

Reno and Sparks are not called the Biggest Little City in the World because of an archway over Virginia Street. We earned that name because when a neighbor raises their hand and asks for help, this community actually shows up.

From the Bottom of My Heart

To the Renown Child Life team: Thank you for your gentle hearts, your infinite patience, and for being the glue for families on their worst days.

To Danna and our entire Sparks Florist® team: Thank you for caring so deeply about our neighbors and pouring yourself into this mission.

And to everyone who bought an arrangement, added five dollars at checkout, or just hit "share" on their phone: Thank you. You helped wrap our community's arms around some very brave kids.

The needs of our local children and families do not stop with the end of summer. If you would like to learn more about the team or continue supporting them directly, you can visit them below.

Support the Renown Child Life Program