Nothing seems to brighten up a room faster than a bouquet of flowers. While bringing a touch of nature inside, fresh flowers make a room look and smell better. Perhaps that's why people who are limited to hospital rooms appreciate flowers so much.

Larsen Jay experienced this for himself. After falling from a building in 2007, Jay was in the hospital for weeks. He faced numerous surgeries and began losing hope. Jay's friends and family members, though, came to his rescue. They delivered fresh flowers each day and something wonderful happened. Jay's mood began to improve, and he looked forward to the future with increased hope.

He soon realized that others around him weren't receiving the same type of emotional support. This drove him to go from room to room, giving away his flowers. The results were amazing! He found that people's misery quickly turned to happiness.

After leaving the hospital, Jay couldn't forget the power of his flowers. Within six months, he came up with the idea for Random Acts of Flowers.

Random Acts of Flowers accepts donations of previously used flowers, often from weddings, and rearranges them. The flowers are then given to people in hospitals and nursing homes. In their first year, the organization served fewer than 100 people. But by 2018 they had given out close to 300,000 bouquets.

According to many studies, fresh flowers and plants can help with the healing process. A Harvard study found that flowers bring health benefits, including reduced stress. A different study found that patients with flowers had shorter hospital stays and lower levels of pain. A 2001 Rutgers study discovered that flowers help reduce depression. The University of Tennessee Medical Center did a study on Random Acts of Flowers in 2016. Almost 95 percent of the patients who had received flowers reported an improvement in their emotional condition.

Time spent in hospitals and nursing homes is no bed of roses. But groups like Random Acts of Flowers are making a difference. They give away fresh flowers to show kindness and promote healing.