Local Florists Across the U.S. Celebrate Women's Day March 8th And Raise Awareness for Non-Profit Organization 'Where Hope Lives'

CAPITOLA, Calif., March 7, 2016 - For the 2nd year in a row, local florists across the U.S. in conjunction with CalFlowers (California Association of Flower Growers and Shippers) and ASOCOLFLORES (The Association of Colombian Flower Exporters) have joined together in support of a national campaign called Love, Honor, Respect, in celebration of Women's Day, March 8th. The date March 8th is a time to recognize and celebrate the influence and achievements of women throughout history and today.

From business to politics, athletics to philanthropy, to celebrity, and even the mom next door. More than 100 nations recognize Women's Day and 35 have declared it a national holiday with thousands of events held by civic organizations, governments, charities, educational institutions, women's groups, corporations and the media. "The mission of Women's Day Holiday campaign is to provide a platform for the community to show respect, appreciation and love for all the amazing women that make a difference in our lives on a daily basis," said Michael LoBue, CEO of CalFlowers.

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The promotion includes the launch of a national website www.womensdayholiday.com as well as a social media campaign on Facebook www.facebook.com/womensdayholiday and Twitter www.twitter.com/womensdayusa. The campaign encourages the community to nominate the special women in their life to receive free flowers by sharing stories of love, honor and respect. The giveaway flowers were donated from the association's member farms and are delivered by the participating local florists. This year California grower Dramm & Echter is donating more than 10,000 stems of fresh flowers to local florists across the country in support of Women's Day. "It's our responsibility to recognize and support Women's Day by giving back to the wonderful women who support our industry," said Michael Mooney, Manager of Dramm & Echter.

"Every woman deserves Love, Honor and Respect. Whether mother or daughter, young or old, amazing women deserve to be honored on Women's Day March 8th. In addition to recognizing and celebrating the achievements of women, our goal is to raise awareness for the non-profit organization Where Hope Lives," said Cheryl Denham, CEO of Arizona Family Florist, located in Phoenix Arizona. The purpose of Where Hope Lives is to rescue trafficking victims, offering them love, hope and a way off the streets. Established in 2009, the non-profit Where Hope Lives formerly The Rescue Project, is a national leader in the rescue, recovery and prevention of human trafficking and relies on donations and support from both the public and private sector. In addition to helping raise awareness, the floral community donates flowers year round that are used in their heroic outreach efforts. To learn more go to www.wherehopelives.org

About CalFlowers
The California Association of Flower Growers & Shippers (CalFlowers, formerly known as NORCAL) was founded in 1941 by a small group of flower shipping companies to foster the success of the California floral industry within the United States.  Today CalFlowers is the leading floral trade association in California, serving growers and the entire supply chain in 45 states across the nation. For more information about CalFlowers, please visit www.cafgs.org.

About ASOCOLFLORES
ASOCOLFLORES was established in 1973 as a non-profit trade organization, to represent and promote the Colombian flower industry in international markets and seek comprehensive development of floriculture, mainly in areas of market access, research, transport, Florverde (socio-environmental label certification) and social responsibility programs to improve the quality of life of workers and their families. ASOCOLFLORES membership represents growers who handle about 80% of total Colombian flower exports. For more information about ASOCOLFLORES, please visit www.asocolflores.org.

Contact: Eileen Watters 
Phone: 602-509-9609 
Email