Warriors help spread positive feelings through Good Neighbor Day

September 5, 2013

 

BURTON, MI – Lapeer, Michigan resident Sheila Arbaugh picked out two dozen red roses, along with a pledge to hand out 11 of the long-stemmed flowers to people in the community as part of Good Neighbor Day Wednesday, Sept. 4 at Bentley Florist in Burton, Michigan.

 

Having passed out the flowers to friends of her late father Felix Roberts two years ago at Lockwood of Davison just after his death two years ago, Arbaugh said "I though about it and said I'll do it again this year."

 

It's the 19th year of the flower giveaway, with Bentley Florist owner Steve Welch noting the business debated the cost of giving away the 3,000 roses on his bottom line before pulling the trigger on this year's event.

 

"In the last four, five years, the economy is really tanking," he said. "It's been affecting us too."

 

 

For the last handful of years, players from the Michigan Warriors, the North American Hockey League team skating at Perani Arena during the fall and winter months, have acted as co-sponsor of the event, handing out flowers, scheduled and tickets for home games.

 

Jeff Beck, 19, of Broomall, Pennsylvania, a forward of this fall's squad was happy to take part in the event with several teammates and the team's mascot, Skully.

 

"It felt amazing, got to meet a lot of new people," he said. "It's good to give back to the community and make people's day. It was a lot of fun today."

 

Welch noted he's got e-mail list of with thousands of people that have sent him notes in the past about giving away the roses at schools, to neighbors and senior centers that motivates him to hand out the flowers each year.

 

"It really is good for the community, I think," he said, with people lining up as early as 7 a.m. to begin picking up their dozen roses two hours later. "They say it's better to give than receive. I think I get more out of this than anybody else does."