GRISWOLD, Conn. — What began on just a single acre at Buttonwood Farm in Griswold now covers close to 15 acres. Each July on the farm, for one week only, sunflowers are center stage.
The fundraiser is called “Sunflowers for Wishes” and, since it began in 2004, they estimate they have raised close to $1.3 million to benefit Make-A-Wish Connecticut.
Susan Carron, the director of outreach for Make-A-Wish Connecticut said that $3 per every sunflower sold adds up.
“It’s just amazing, the average cost of a wish here in Connecticut is $10,000 so that’s a lot of wishes that we’re able to grant picking sunflowers,” said Carron.
Kim Button, part of the family that owns Buttonwood Farm Ice Cream (the official name of the business) said that the tradition from Sunflowers for Wishes is always a week they look forward to.
"We just give them (Make-A-Wish families) a little bit of joy in their time of need and it’s nice to see the happiness on their faces,” said Button.
"Having a wish can bring hope and strength during some of the hardest times that these families are going through, so we need a lot of money to make a lot of wishes happen,” added Carron.
Standing next to a field where about 300,000 sunflowers are blooming, Button said that, during Wishes for Sunflowers Week, “100% of everything here goes to Make-A-Wish, you know it’s just a wonderful thing.”
This year Sunflowers for Wishes runs through Sunday, July 31. To learn more click here.
“Sunflowers for Wishes”
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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