Pay It Forward: Petals of Crimson
Kris Bolander was homeless at one time in her life and now she is trying to make a difference in the lives of others who find themselves in tough circumstances. With the help of a close friend, Bolander started Petals of Crimson.
"I started Petals of Crimson because I was homeless and I fell through the cracks for a long time. And there wasn't anyone or any resources there for me, so I decided to fill the gap for other people," said Bolander.
Bolander and her close friend, Sara Loveland, are the faces behind the nonprofit.
"You know, until Kris was homeless, I didn't know what was going on out there. I didn't know what people were going through. And when it happened to her and I saw what happened, I wanted to help her make a difference," said Loveland.
"Petals of Crimson started out as a book that we wrote together, that was full of original photography also. It was a message of self-esteem. And we sold it to benefit homeless and battered woman," said Bolander.
From there, a second branch and function of the non-profit started, called Flowers for You. It began as flowers for anybody in the hospital or nursing homes that needed to be uplifted. But because of HIPPA or privacy laws and even common allergies, they found a way around those obstacles.
"So we started doing photography of flowers and we turned each photo into a handwritten card," said Bolander.
Their efforts have since expanded into other avenues aimed at helping people in need. Now it's time to help them "Pay it Forward."
"How are you?" said Kory Carling as he entered the doorway.
"Hi," said Bolander.
"I'm Kory with Mountain America Credit Union and we have heard so much of all your efforts and all you're doing to benefit your community and we are here to Pay It Forward. And we've brought with us today, $500 in cash that we hope will help you continue to make an effort in all the organizations you're part of," said Carling.
"Wow! We really appreciate that because that will help many, many, many people," said Bolander.
"It does feel good to know that you might be helping somebody, but more importantly, it just is good. The more good we do in this world, the better our world is going to get," said Loveland.
Click here for Petals of Crimson.
"Pay It Forward" will air the second Wednesday of every month. If you know of a nonprofit organization or someone who deserves to be recognized for their contributions to the area, click on "Pay It Forward" off to the right side of our website and fill out the form or send an email to Eyewitness News anchor Todd Kunz at tkunz@kidk.com.
