DUNCAN – Tallying up sales and donations from its fourth Valentine’s Day fundraiser, the Think Ability Inc. staff is grateful for the community support they continue to receive.
Since 2019 the multiservice organization that provides quality of life and community inclusion opportunities to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, has had financial success by creating, selling and delivering fresh floral arrangements as well as gift baskets, toys and items from Think Ability Market to their customers’ favorite valentines.
Price points, weather conditions and even what day on which Valentine’s Day falls (weekday versus weekend) affects Valentine’s Day sales, the National Retail Federation reports.
To help community members celebrate the St. Valentine, the 3rd century Roman saint most commonly associated with courtly love, Sheila DeCarlo, manager of Think Ability’s Community Garden and Duncan Farmers’ Market, and the Think Ability staff pre-ordered flowers from an Oklahoma City floral wholesaler earlier this year. To keep costs down, the organization cleans, sanitizes and reuses salvageable donated vases and containers.
“In 2020 we sold out two days before Valentine’s Day,” DeCarlo told Southwest Ledger last year. That demand prompted DeCarlo to increase their original order by 25 percent.
Although sales were successful, last year’s icy weather caused delivery issues, leaving Think Ability with approximately 150 roses on hand, she said. Making the best of the situation, DeCarlo’s team took the flowers to local nursing homes which brought huge smiles to residents’ faces.
The NFR projected that Americans spent an estimated $21.8 billion dollars on Valentine’s Day 2021, which was a Sunday. This year, the holiday fell on Monday. The NRF projected Valentine’s Day sales to reach $24 billion with the average consumer spending approximately $175 apiece.
Since wholesale flower costs did not go up since last year, Think Ability was able to keep arrangements at the same rates, she said.
With delivery fees and taxes included, customers paid $55 for a dozen multicolored roses; $65 for a dozen red roses. In addition, Think Ability offered a half-dozen and single rose or carnation arrangements as well as balloons, toys, candy and snack baskets.
This year’s sunny skies and warmer temperatures on Valentine’s Day allowed Think Ability’s arrangements to be easily delivered to certain parts of the Duncan community including Bray, Comanche, Empire, Marlow Ratliff City, Waurika and Velma.
“My team loves working with the flowers,” DeCarlo added. “They love the smells when the roses get delivered. They love to deliver – the whole thing.”
Several staff members and volunteers pitched in to ensure arrangements were made and delivered as quickly as possible. DeCarlo said she was grateful for all the help.
In addition to the ones helping with arrangements, “we had four teams delivering flowers and baskets yesterday,” said DeCarlo Tuesday. “Everyone on our teams was excited to get out and enjoy the weather, deliver to their favorite people and meet new ones.”
While Think Ability’s Community Garden has also grown to be a great success, producing fresh vegetables and vibrant flowers in the warmer months, “during the wintertime the garden produces lettuce, radishes and other winter crops,” DeCarlo said in 2021.
Valentine’s Day sales “help in the wintertime when the garden is not producing as much as the summer months,” DeCarlo added. “All the money raised by Think Ability Inc. goes toward services for people with disabilities.”
In addition to the Community Garden, Think Ability generates revenue through Power Print, the screen-printing service established in 1992, Think Ability Market and janitorial services for the State Capitol as well as close to two dozen other state buildings. The organization has also secured custodial contracts with businesses, churches and organizations in the area.
When asked if Think Ability will continue their Valentine’s Day fundraiser, DeCarlo emphatically said, “Yes! Our rose fundraiser has always been a success. Everybody loves it! I’ve had customers call in today and say their arrangements were beautiful and they were excited that we brought them in.
“With this being our fourth year, repetition has certainly helped us get better and better,” she concluded. “We can’t wait to see how next year goes.”