Pocono News Section

Delivering Irish Cheer to Nursing Homes, Hospitals

Delivering Irish Cheer to Nursing Homes, Hospitals - Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 04:04AM EST

Reported by: Mark Hiller
Wednesday March 17 2010
ELMHURST TOWNSHIP, LACKAWANNA COUNTY - It's a special wearin' of the green this St. Patrick's Day at dozens of Lackawanna County nursing homes and hospitals. Thousands of nursing home residents and hospital patients received green flowers Wednesday morning.

Agnes Flanagan got a pretty green corsage. She's one of about 100-residents at Saint Mary's Villa Nursing Home in Elmhurst Township who received either a corsage or boutonniere. "I think they'll be happy about it. Everybody will be. That's so pretty," she said.

Before the corsages and boutonnieres are ever delivered to nursing homes and hospitals, a lot of hard work goes into preparing them for the big delivery day. Dozens of volunteers helped prepare and package more than 4,200 flowers the previous two days at PNC Field in Moosic. "They're involved from coming down to the stadium to assembling the flowers, packaging them," said Attorney John McGee.

He started this tradition in 1995 forming a non-profit group called Shamrock Heart Foundation. "It just takes a lot of coordination, a lot of volunteers," he added.

Gene Gallagher is one of more than 20 volunteers making the Saint Patrick's Day deliveries. He's been doing this for years delivering plenty of green flowers. "It's been in the hundreds, probably in the thousands," said Gallagher. "A labor of love. That's what it is."

And that's how other volunteers feel, too. Karen Durkin delivered flowers to Scranton Manor and Mercy Hospital. "It's a really good project, I think, and people enjoy it," she said. "And my mother gets one of these in the nursing home where she is, so that's really nice."

John McGee has a personal reason for starting this flower delivery to hospitals and nursing homes on Saint Patrick's Day. He said he saw how much it meant when he gave a flower to his uncle in the hospital one Saint Patrick's Day -- and the rest is history.