lovin' bloom

A rose can be more than a rose. For Nancy Lawlor, 35, the elaborate floral arrangements in the lobby of New York City's Waldorf-Astoria that she enjoyed during her lunch-hour respites from temp work represented life's bounty. She wondered if the flowers could be passed along once they started wilting

"I knew I had discovered something special," Lawlor says. Within ayear her work grew into the FlowerPower Foundation, which has "repurposed" more than $1.2 million worth of flowers for patients in hospitals, hospices and nursing homes in New York and California. Donations now come from weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs and nonprofit galas. Volunteers collect, arrange and deliver the flowers. Kathryn Jaliman, 50, an artist and mother of one from Brewster, NY, who has been with FlowerPower for more than two years, says: "It's about bringing life and healing to people who are so grateful to be remembered."