A sunflower, a tin and a little bit of creativity
For Carlyle Gardens Mackay resident Glenda Evans, a sunflower, an old tin and a handful of painted rocks became her way of getting involved in the Great Sunflower Grow Off, a challenge tied in with BlueCare Giving Day. that aims to raise funds and support for dementia.
In the lead-up to Giving Day (24 September), retirement villages across Queensland have been getting creative with the Great Sunflower Grow Off – turning sunflowers into gardens, artworks and other projects that bring residents together and help spark conversations about dementia.
For Glenda, the campaign quickly became something more.
“When the competition started, I thought, ‘I really must do something with this,’” Glenda said.
Using an old tin, Glenda created a colourful garden display outside her home, surrounding her sunflower with hand-painted rocks featuring lizards, frogs and other creatures.
“I love painting rocks. It’s something I can sit and enjoy, and I thought the display might make children, grandchildren and anyone walking past stop and smile," she said.
Above her planter, Glenda placed a handmade sign reading Grow tall and bloom for Giving Day, alongside another simple message: Smile and be happy.
“The words are for the flowers,” she laughed, “but they’re also for the people who walk past every day.”
More than a sunflower
At 86, Glenda says sunflowers have always made her smile.
“Yellow is my favourite colour. They’re such happy flowers. When you look at a sunflower, you just feel like smiling.”
The campaign also has a deeply personal connection for Glenda. Her mother lived with dementia, and she has seen friends and family members affected by the condition.
“Dementia is such a hard thing to understand. But the more you understand dementia, the more you learn to cope.”
Glenda says kindness and understanding are especially important for people living with dementia.
“They are in their own world. They may not know the people around them, so kindness and understanding is important.”
She hopes others will get behind Giving Day and support people living with dementia and their families.
“Appreciate every day and what you have. Be kind.”
“I hope people will get behind Giving Day and donate if they can. Every bit helps, and it’s going towards helping people living with dementia and their families.”
Donations can be made here and will help provide specialised dementia training and resources to support BlueCare teams to deliver compassionate care to people living with dementia and their families. On Giving Day, every donation will be matched by BlueCare’s partners, doubling the impact of each dollar raised.
For Glenda, it all comes back to the simple message on her garden. Smile and be happy.