This past weekend, the Coshocton KOA was busy with visitors from all over the state. People from all over Ohio traveled in to take part in the 2nd Annual SunFlower Festival. There was a huge field full of Sunflowers, food vendors, crafters and even live music for the 3 day event. (Check out this vlog for footage of the event).
And this huge field of Sunflowers prompted one local person to ask a simple question. What happens to the sunflowers after the festival?
Rotarian Amy Hasseman said she got the idea after last years festival. “Instead of the sunflowers just dying in the fields, why not give them out and make someone’s day. The McPeeks were so gracious in sharing the flowers, so it just made sense.”
That simple idea led to a partnership designed to spread joy throughout Coshocton County.
The new project grew out of the Coshocton KOA’s Sunflower festival. The goal…spreading sunshine throughout the community. Members from the Coshocton Rotary Club accomplished that by cutting over 300 sunflowers, putting them in vases and passing them out to patients in area nursing homes, hospital and a variety of other places. The 2nd Sunflower Festival held at Coshocton KOA brought thousands to the Coshocton campgrounds. Rotary just expanded that reach by taking the sunflowers to those who weren’t able to get out. Members got the opportunity to visit and spread kindness and love.
Members fo the Coshocton Rotary club collected well over 200 vases in order to make this happen. Then a group of volunteers met at the Coshocton KOA to collect the Sunflowers. They were then transported to the Coshocton RHDD facility. There, members of RHDD, and others from the community joined Rotarians to tie a card to the sunflower and put them in vases. Finally another group transported the vases to these local facilities.
“It was an amazing day,” said Amy Hasseman. “It was so good to see the joy it brought to people. It made my day.”
