Events

We had the privilege of hosting three heartfelt Christmas workshops at Chinatown! Harmony House, Chieng’s Adult Day Care Centre, as well as Simon KY Lee Residence. These workshops were more than just creative sessions—they were moments of connection, care, and compassion that brought light to the lives of our beloved seniors. Not only did they have the opportunity to handmake their own wreaths to celebrate Christmas, but as volunteers, we also learned valuable lessons about how art can be transformed into meaningful community work.

Our Christmas wreath event at Austin Harris Senior Residence was a heartwarming celebration of creativity, connection, and hope. Seeing so many happy faces return each month to explore their creativity brings us endless joy!

We started with a fun quiz time:*Why do people put up Christmas wreaths? Why are wreaths round instead of other shapes? Answer: Eternity!

That’s right! We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who came to bring us eternal life and love. The round shape symbolizes eternity—just like wedding rings exchanged in marriage, signifying eternal love.

To guide our elders in creating their wreaths, we brought along **dried orange and lemon slices, pinecones, and cinnamon sticks**—each with a special meaning.

– Sweet and sour moments in life.

– Pinecones: The rocky, challenging times.

– Cinnamon: The spicy adventures that make life exciting.

Coupled with fresh evergreens, these elements reflect the rich textures of life. Only with these diverse experiences can life become truly complete and filled with wisdom.

What a joy and blessing it was to create bridal bouquets and boutonnieres for the Mass Wedding at St. Mary’s Parish! Witnessing 19 couples celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony was truly heartwarming—what a beautiful reminder of love and faith.

A heartfelt thank you to all our incredible volunteers! Your hard work, dedication, and teamwork made this possible. Every ribbon tied, flower arranged, and moment shared was filled with grace and joy.

May God bless everyone who was part of this special day. Let’s cherish every opportunity to learn, grow, and serve together as one community. The time we spend creating beauty is as precious as the flowers we arrange, and together, we can always strive for the best.

Onward to more joyful moments with Ave Maria Garden!

Praise God for the blessings of community and kindness! It’s amazing how acts of love, big or small, can bring warmth to those around us. Thanks to our wonderful neighbors, who harvested flowers and greenery from their gardens this fall, we were able to prepare over 30 Thanksgiving gifts sent out to different seniors in the community. A random act of kindness on this special day!

We also want to thank everyone who gave us beautiful cards. Handwritten cards carry such a personal touch, a perfect way to spread love and encouragement—especially for seniors who may not read emails or texts often. I know God works through these small gestures, bringing joy in unexpected ways.

We’re truly grateful to be part of such a loving, generous community. With God’s help, let’s continue to cherish these simple, meaningful moments—because they are the ones that matter most.

Wishing you all a blessed and joyful Thanksgiving! Sending big hugs and lots of love.

We’ve wrapped up our Thanksgiving flower workshops at several senior residences, and what a heartwarming experience it’s been! 💐 Huge thanks to some of our great supporters for their generous harvest from their yards—your kindness helped us spread joy while the blooms were still fresh and beautiful. The seniors were absolutely thrilled! 🌿 They couldn’t believe how we transformed raw, unripe figs (that wouldn’t ripen due to the weather) into charming little adornments—every three figs becoming a unique touch in their arrangements. With lush greenery, delicate white filler flowers, and vibrant fuchsia blooms, their creations radiated warmth and beauty. Some moments were truly unforgettable—one senior, overcome with her mobility issue, even tried to stand up to give us hugs. 💕 It was a humbling reminder of how small acts of love can mean the world. We’ve always believed that flowers hold a special power to uplift our spirits. 🌸 May our regular outreach continue to bloom like the beauty of nature, spreading positivity and joy to everyone we touch. Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving filled with love and gratitude! 🍂 

🌸 What an incredible weekend we had at the ‘Blossom of Hope’ flower exhibition! 🌸

This event was more than just a showcase of beautiful floral designs; it was a celebration of community, creativity, and connection. We were overjoyed to see so many visitors from all walks of life—children, youth, young adults, and seniors—all coming together to appreciate the beauty of flowers. It was a reminder that flowers truly are a universal language, bringing joy, happiness, and a sense of hope to everyone who experiences them.

A heartfelt thank you to the seniors from Hamilton High Street Residence, Maple Residence, Harmony House, Chieng’s Adult Day Care Centre by SUCCESS, Marpole Oakridge Family Place, and the Caregiver Hub by RCRG. Your participation was the heart and soul of this event. The time we spent together crafting the flower displays was filled with laughter, creativity, and moments of connection that we will treasure. Many of us tried out new creative techniques, exploring artistic expressions we hadn’t before, and the results were nothing short of inspiring. You all brought so much warmth and wisdom to the exhibition, making it a truly special experience.

Very Grateful for the first day of “Blossom of Hope” Flower Exhibition** at Canadian Martyrs Catholic Church! The beauty and creativity on display were truly inspiring, with so many visitors, families, and children joining us this day. From the vibrant floral designs contributed by various parishes, charities, and nonprofits, to the warm support from our dedicated Ave Maria Garden volunteers, it was a day filled with joy and community spirit.

Tomorrow is the **final day** of this beautiful exhibition, so don’t miss your chance to come by and say hello to our stunning floral displays before they are repurposed.

Date:* August 25 (Sun)

Time: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Location: Canadian Martyrs Catholic Church – 5771 Granville Avenue, Richmond.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Thank You for Joining Us at the Faith & Career Seminar!

What an incredible evening we had at the “From Belief to Business: Navigating Faith in Your Career” seminar! A heartfelt thank you to Deacon Wilfred Victoria for being our guest speaker, and thank Fr. Anthony Ho from Canadian Martyrs Catholic Church for supporting our event, and of course for everyone who attended, shared, and connected with us.

Deacon Wilfred Victoria delivered an inspiring talk that resonated with so many of us, providing invaluable insights on how to live out our faith in both our professional and personal lives. The discussions that followed were filled with warmth, wisdom, and inspiration on how we can navigate and practice our faith with our own passion! The hall was filled with laughter and positivity.

A special highlight of the evening was the exclusive preview of our first-ever flower exhibition – Blossom of Hope! With over 50 hope-inspired floral displays created by various parishes, nonprofits, charities, many are our beloved seniors from the communities, the exhibition beautifully showcased the spirit of community and creativity that we, Ave Maria Garden, holds dear in heart.

We hope everyone left feeling encouraged, uplifted, and more connected to their faith. Stay tuned for more photos from the Flower exhibition.

Praise be to the Almighty! 🙏 With the strength and guidance bestowed upon us by our gracious God, we’ve successfully organized an unforgettable team-building event for all teachers and staff at St. Francis Xavier School – through “FLOWERS”! 🌺 The feedback has blown us away! A heartfelt thank you to all participants and volunteers! 🙌 Many think arranging flowers is a quiet activity for well-being, but today we proved otherwise! We witnessed excitement, creativity, resilience, and a spirit of togetherness in every corner. 💐 Staff were divided into groups, each assigned a special floral design to build together. And we don’t just have flowers. We want them to build their faith into the design as well. So, we brought along a variety of beautiful faith items like Mother Mary statues, Rosary, Angels, Prayer Card etc. Look at the beautiful designs! They were breathtaking, as each creation came to life before our eyes infused with meaning and love! ❤️ The floral presentation sharing by each group was inspiring beyond words. One group named their design as “Touching Hearts in the Spirit” – their tripod-look design is interpreted as the importance of having Holy Trinity as our foundation of love, so much so the Holy Spirit touching the hearts of our little ones under our care. Another group shared their design as “The Heart of the Wedding at Cana” – reminding us of the unconditional love of God as He helps support us in many miraculous ways.  

We had an incredible time with the wonderful seniors from Maple Residence today, creating a special flower display ready to go to our Flower Exhibition called “Blossom of Hope”. Our focus was on “Upcycling”—breathing new life into scrapped flower stems, transforming them into something even more beautiful than before.

Starting with just a few stems, we explored the art of wire twisting to secure them together. What began as a simple puzzle evolved into something truly remarkable—a 3D structure, crafted piece by piece by each senior. When we combined these individual creations, an architectural design emerged, reflecting our shared creativity. By weaving flowers into the structure, we watched as a unique floral masterpiece blossomed before our eyes. This experience beautifully captured the essence of hope—showing us that even from what seems discarded, something extraordinary can be created.

Many times when we do service at Ave Maria Garden, flowers are just a tool. What truly matters is encouraging people to come together, to spend time talking with each other, even if it’s just small talk—it brightens our day. Having flowers adds something new and interesting to draw us together. I was especially touched to see when our volunteer, Lucenda, who just shared some casual conversation about family names with a senior and that turned into a meaningful connection. It’s like magic, creating moments that hook us together, finding common ground in the simplest of things.

Adding to the joy, a thoughtful youth volunteer found another way to cheer our seniors—she made a heart-shaped crochet for each participant. How sweet!