Some of the men in recovery at Baldy Hughes,  create the bouquets for the medal winners – photo 250News

Prince George, B.C. – You may have seen  images of the  medal winning Canada Games Athletes holding a  small , green bouquet.  Those bouquets  have been specially made  by the  men in recovery at  Baldy Hughes.It is no surprise the  involvement of  Baldy Hughes was an idea  that came from community booster and former P.G. Citizen of the Year, Monica Peacock.

“When the Games first came to town,  I started asking  about  who  was going to do the bouquets” says Peacock  who owns her own floral shop in Prince George. “The mandate for most of the Canada Winter Games is to have legacies,  and my  question was, would Baldy Hughes be a good  part of that legacy?  The Games  were quick to say yes,  and Mr. Ballantyne (CEO of the Games Society) was very anxious to have something really heart felt from the community  that was not from an everyday volunteer, but could be a very big part  of how it would help them (the men from Baldy Hughes) and the Games.”

She says the project has helped  the men feel  self pride and satisfaction that they are giving back as well as a sense of accomplishment.

“Each bouquet is a little different  just as  each man who created  it is unique” says Peacock.

The bouquets are special in that  the core of the bouquet is a  pine seedling (donated by Canfor) which can be  planted  when the athlete  goes home. The bouquet is then  augmented with cedar, and other sprigs of greenery before being neatly  encircled with a blue ribbon.

“You have to take time” says  Dale, ( in photo at right) one of the men  creating the bouquets ( no last names given), “You  want to make sure the bouquet  has  enough greenery to  be full,  yet not so much  that we are wasting product , so there’s a balance.”

In all,  18 men from  Baldy Hughes have created more than 600 bouquets for the athletes  of this  first week of competition.  Next week a new  organization will be making the bouquets for the medal winners  of next week’s competition.