There are times in life when your path crosses with another, and you are instantly, lastingly changed.
We would venture to say that there are fewer times when such an experience happens collectively. When it does, though, the depth of goodness, grief, and reflection is profound.
With our still broken hearts, we count ourselves incredibly lucky to be a group that got to cross paths with Amber Bell.
In January 2021, when Amber Bell applied to be a Growing Kindness Ambassador, she wrote, "I want flowers and kindness to be part of what people remember about me when I am not here.” You see, when she applied, Amber had already been battling stage four cancer for four years.
Amber joined our Ambassador team and changed our hearts forever. She taught us about continuing to choose kindness through unfathomable loss…the power of connection and encouragement…the limitlessness of generosity and kindness.
While Amber nurtured her family, juggled doctors appointments and treatments, she continued to tend her backyard flower garden and took every opportunity she could to share flowers in her community. She gave in big ways and little ways, always sharing kindness. Amber often took flowers with her to appointments to gift to other patients or staff. Her front porch was frequently filled with arrangements with an open invitation for anyone in need of kindness to take a bouquet. Then in July, one of Amber’s dreams came to fruition: she’d always hoped for a cargo bike to be able to ride around town delivering free flowers and sharing kindness.
In September of 2021, Amber transitioned to hospice care, but that didn’t stop her. When she turned 42 on October 25, with help from family and friends, Amber made and delivered 42 bouquets to strangers who looked like they could use some extra kindness.
Amber passed on November 30, 2021, and while cancer took much, it could never dim her radiant light, kindness, generosity, and bravery. It’s still with us today.
For a woman who radiated joy while battling excruciating pain, shared kindness while juggling chemo, side effects, and endless doctor's appointments, and couldn't help but generously give to friends and strangers alike, any act of kindness in Amber’s name does not - and will never - go unnoticed.
Amber left a tender, lasting impression on each of us that is knit deeply in the Growing Kindness Project, and we want to be sure her life and legacy of kindness are never forgotten. While we can’t do a lot, we can do small things with great love - one of which is establishing the Amber Bell Legacy Scholarship. Each year, we award her scholarship to an incoming Ambassador who echoes Amber’s kindness, generosity, perseverance, light.
We are deeply honored to share that Kayla Roles has been selected as the recipient of the 2023 Amber Bell Legacy Scholarship.
So many of us can relate and empathize with the beauty - sometimes almost accidental - that can come from challenging seasons. Head down, focused on the next right thing, showing up every day…something comes alive. For Kayla, that was during the pandemic. Floral design became an important tool for mindfulness, and she fell more in love with her flower garden’s potential.
Fast forward a bit, and, as a horticulturist, Kayla is not only excited and ready to “connect with likeminded individuals who care about showing up, being kind, and altruistic” - she’s showing up in her community to do just that. This year, Kayla is volunteering at Catherine’s Place - a women’s support center in Tacoma - to bring new life and beauty to their huge, overgrown garden.
Catherine’s Place hosts support groups, wellness services, and workshops for women in need, and Kayla will “harvest flowers from the property and share them with as many women inside and outside of the center as possible to encourage kindness and healing.” She’s already connected with a small “flower friends” club in Tacoma, and they have donated seeds that she is and will be growing for the center. Extra plants beyond what can be planted on the property will be donated to women at Catherine’s Place to take home to plant.
In her application, Kayla shared, “this year I am committed to blossoming as a person, opening my heart and sharing my creativity and passions with the people in my life” and that she’s “ready to open [her] heart to new connections and opportunities through the power of flowers”.
Through both smiles and tears, we can only imagine how sincerely and joyfully Amber would have cheered Kayla on. Both Amber and Kayla show us what tenacity, showing up, the power of flowers, and giving generously look like.
It’s going to be a delight to watch the gardens transform and grow as Kayla brings them to life, sharing the beautiful bounty with the women there, and as she grows and gives from her own garden, too. The gentle ripples of kindness and connection flowing within and out from Tacoma, connecting around the world - as we each do our small bit of good in our local communities - will be a marvel. A continuation of the growing and giving, kindness and connection over these past few years; a circle that has no end.
In Amber’s words, “I feel like I have been given the opportunity to share the hard parts of my life along with the happy times and that as I have found beauty and shared it my life has been so much richer.”