Citizens Bank Being Good Citizens with 9/11 Flower Giveaway

By Jill Brooke

Flowers by their nature are messengers to express so many emotions without saying a word. They provide comfort, contemplation and also remembrance.

This is why for the second consecutive year, Citizens will honor the memory of those who lost their lives 23 years ago with flowers. The downtown banks will provide 300 free floral arrangements for family members and other visitors to the 9/11 memorial this September 11.

The flowers will be available at these Citizens branch locations – Bowling Green, 26 Broadway, Tribeca 110 W Broadway and SoHo, 11 E Houston St. Visitors can pick one up from  7:30 a.m. and continue until all bouquets have been distributed. Citizens will also be providing a map with several different downtown locations where visitors can leave their arrangements and take a moment to pause and reflect.

The bank says it chose New York based florist, Alex Abuza from Wilder Gardens and Flowers because she’s “a small New York business.” The bank often helps small businesses grow. Abuza is also known for  creating arrangements with regionally-grown flowers that are native wildflowers of New York State. Among her clients have been “Gods Love We Deliver” and art fairs.

With New York being the epicenter to so many cultures and diversity, Abuza shares how her arrangements reflect this sensibility and vibe.

“I’m using different varieties and textures in the flowers,” she says, noting it will be a wildflower feel.  In fact, part of the reason she was chosen is that she specializes in using native plants and flowers.

So what will these nosegays have inside?

The flowers include zinnias, lisianthus, dahlias and grasses.

The group is hoping these flowers help comfort and heal as people remember loved ones and miss them.

Because consider this:

23 years ago, 246 people went to sleep in preparation for their morning flights.

2,606 people went to sleep in preparation for work in the morning.

343 firefighters went to sleep in preparation for their morning shift.

60 police officers went to sleep in preparation for morning patrol.

8 paramedics went to sleep in preparation for the morning shift.

None of them saw past 10:00am Sept 11, 2001.

In one single moment life may never be the same.

Today is a day for remembrance but also contemplation. Enjoy the breaths we breathe, kiss the ones you love, call someone to tell them you care or perhaps give someone a flower.

In a world full of challenges, love and generosity is a powerful force for good. And no act of kindness is ever wasted.

Jill Brooke is a former CNN correspondent, Post columnist and editor-in-chief of Avenue and Travel Savvy magazine. She is an author and the editorial director of FPD and a contributor to Florists Review magazine. She also won the 2023 AIFD (American Institute of Floral Designers.) Merit Award for showing how flowers impact history, news and culture