Above the Stem Thanks Those who go Above and Beyond, Giving to Military Service Members

“Memorial Day is especially meaningful this year, with all our returning veterans. Above the Stem…wanted to express our sincere thanks for this service to our nation,” explained Prerna Kapadia, who co-owns the flower shop, Above the Stem Floral Studio, with her husband, Mahendra Kapadia. “We’ve always appreciated veterans, but our daughter had two friends last year that she went to high school with who she’d lost [in the war]. These were 24- and 25-year-old kids. They were so young, and it hit home. I was familiar with these kids, and that’s what started the whole conversation.” Katie Syme is a shop employee who helped deliver approximately 400 pink and red roses to veterans at the Loma Linda veteran’s hospital last year. She shared, “This was something we all decided that we wanted to do. We went room-to-room and spent a few minutes with each veteran, listening to combat stories. They seemed like they really enjoyed it and it was really nice, being able to spend that time with them,” Syme said of last year’s rose donations. Veterans and other military service members once again this year were thanked by Above the Stem Floral Studio with flowers free of charge. This year the Redlands-based flower shop continued a tradition begun last year by giving one free flower to military service men and women, past and present, on Memorial Day. Store employees whose husbands were serving in the military decided they wanted to give back to veterans and other serving military members by giving away a free rose to each veteran who visited the shop last year. The traditional event was made more significant, Syme shared, due to the fact that she, like many of her colleagues, has a veteran in her life: her father, who works today for the Navy as a civilian, served in the Air Force. This year Above the Stem Floral Studio continued its tradition of recognizing veterans and military members for their services.