Spring has sprung at St. Boniface Hospital, and gratitude is in the air, too. During the week of April 29, volunteers and staff sold carnations and thank you cards in the Everett Atrium, with 1,000 flowers purchased before week’s end, which was a sell-out of all their stock.
“The idea behind this sale was that staff could purchase a flower for $1 and receive a thank you card to share,” explains Alicia Ali, a Workplace Wellness Consultant for the hospital. “There are so many reasons to thank someone, both big and small. Did someone go above and beyond for you? Or maybe they’ve always got a nice thing to say, or they’re quick to offer help. This is a nice way to acknowledge that.”
The idea for the event, called Bloom into Gratitude, came from a conversation that Ali had with Jennifer Kilimnik, Director of Culture and Compassion at Réseau Compassion Network. “Jennifer mentioned this group called Cards for Charity, and that they provide greeting cards to support non-profit organisations,” continues Ali. “They made us over 2,000 thank you cards and 1,000 birthday cards. They’re all handmade and gorgeous. We got tons of request to do this again, and we definitely will!”


Staff in health care settings carried a heavy load throughout the pandemic and are still facing challenging conditions at work, but Ali believes that small gestures can make a big difference. “Out of everything we’ve done so far to encourage staff wellness, this was the most successful,” she shares. “It’s an easy event to organise, and it’s such a simple but powerful way to show gratitude.”

Staff weren’t the only people who took the chance to express their thanks. “I spoke to two sisters who were arriving at the hospital, one of them to be admitted,” Ali recalls. “They bought each other flowers, they hugged and kissed. All of us who witnessed it were emotional. I’d truly recommend that any organisation try something like this. The flowers and cards were so well received and spread a lot of happiness around the hospital.”
As gratitude tends to do, it spread slowly over the campus during the course of the week. “One of the days, we sold out quite early and I asked what had happened,” continues Ali. “A visitor bought a whole bunch of cards and flowers and asked us to hand them out to patients. So many people were paying it forward all week. It was beautiful to see.”
Ali’s role as a Workplace Wellness Consultant is newer to the hospital. She’s the first person to hold the role and has been in place for about two years. She and many dedicated staff members have lots of ideas around creating and maintaining health and wellness at work and beyond.
“We’re talking about implementing the national standards for psychological safety, we’re discussing how we disrupt racism and how we can offer mental health first aid,” Ali explains. “We’re looking at creating a walking challenge this summer and we have massage therapists, reflexologists and healing touch practitioners offering free services every month, as well. There’s lots to consider and lots to try.”