Random acts of kindness: Granddaughter carries on tradition of giving flowers to strangers
A Winnipeg man who was handing flowers to strangers has been in and out of hospital but now his granddaughter is keeping the random acts of kindness going.
Back in November, Kim Morfoot had been handing out bouquets of flowers to random strangers to brighten up their days, in honour his wife Bonnie.
The two had been married for more than 40 years when Bonnie died after a battle with cancer in 2017.
"We had a special connection," Morfoot told CTV News in November.
In recent months, Morfoot's family says he has become sick and has been in and out of the hospital. Because of the difficulty he is having, he has been unable to hand out bouquets.
But his granddaughter is stepping in to carry on the tradition.
"I decided that I wanted to keep it going, because I went with him multiple times to hand out these flowers and I just saw how it made people super happy. It made him happy to do it as well," Jory Giesbrecht told CTV News.
"I didn't expect flowers or bouquets in general just to make people that happy or for it to spread positivity as it did."
Giesbrecht said other people can join in to help with the random acts of kindness. She started the Kim and Bonnie Flower Foundation to raise money to help cover the costs of the bouquets.
She said, especially right now, people need this kind of positivity and happiness in their lives.
"Some people are down because of COVID and just all this stuff happening in our world, and I think it would just be good to continue it," she said.
Kim Morfoot hands out flowers to strangers in memory of his wife who passed away. (Source: Jamie Dowsett/CTV News)
Kim Morfoot, pictured here in November 2020, was handing out flowers to strangers in memory of his wife who passed away. (Source: Jamie Dowsett/CTV News)
Giesbrecht said she plans to start handing out the flowers in August, with plans to do another 'flower day' each season. She said she hopes her grandfather will still be able to come along.
"We still want him to be a part of it, because he does really love doing it."
-with files from CTV's Devon McKendrick
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'