In 2000 my mother’s neighbor, a school teacher, suddenly lost her husband who had served as a high school principal. For two years she did not come out of the house or engage people. In 2002 I decided to send her a dozen roses on Valentine’s Day in the name of her deceased spouse. The note asked her to keep love in her heart despite the loss. She began to come back to life, engaging neighbors, slowly returning to her old self. I realized the first year after losing a spouse could be the toughest on a long-term partner left behind.
I thought, if this could do that for her, what could it do for others? The next year I tried it again with people from my church who had lost a spouse the previous year. It had the same impact, so I kept going. Some names came from my mother’s circle of friends, childhood neighbors or people I knew. I added in people from headlines deeply researching to gather information needed for delivery. I expanded the flowers to include stuffed animals or chocolates. I added men to the program. Silas “SiMan Baby” Alexander, a radio colleague decided to join me in my efforts. At one point I told him maybe I should drop this activity. It’s only giving people flowers that won’t last more than a few weeks. He encouraged me to keep it going, reminding me the surprise element would bring joy to others; many being strangers I didn’t personally know. I took his advice.
The program grew each year including honoring the victims of Atlanta’s horrifying courthouse shooting. It included Judge Barnes, Deputy Teasley and the federal agent. I even included the court reporter’s daughter who called me from Auburn University where she was attending school. She was confused, stating it must have been a mistake because she didn’t qualify as a widow. I explained about the program, adding I could not exclude the love ones her mother left behind because she was intrinsically tied to such a tragic event. The youngest recipient was an Atlanta Hawks player who experienced a sudden death in his twenties.
One recipient was former Fulton County Sheriff Myron Freeman who sadly lost his wife due to complications from COVID. He not only expressed joy for the surprise gift in remembrance of his spouse but submitted a financial contribution. I asked if he was going to give the stuffed teddy bear away. He chuckled, remarking, “I’ll keep it. It’s a reminder of my wife.” That prompted me to ask men from the program should I change men’s gift to a plant instead of flowers. They all said no! The smell of flowers reminded them of their wife’s presence in the home.
I branded it the Flowers to Widows program establishing a 501C3 in the name of my parents with the tag line “Compassion is Strength!” My father showed compassion when as a construction contractor he would hire men off the street who were recovering drug addicts providing them with a means to earn a living. My mother was a civil rights activist who would take her kids out of school to attend marches for justice. I was too young to know who John Inman was but years later learned he was a police chief they wanted out of office. She also advocated for new school books along with neighbor C.T. Martin who eventually became the district’s council representative.
This year marks 25 years of me surprising people on Valentine’s Day. It’s a challenge each year to identify and verify information needed for deliveries. The hardest time was when my colleague and nonprofit partner Silas Alexander passed away and I had to include his spouse. I cried throughout the entire process. His impact was so strong to my programs and his dedication went beyond what most would commit. I thought about handing the program over to my church when a family member suggested that since it was my baby, I needed to see it through to its fullest to maintain control over procedures.
This program changed my life. What began as a small gesture turned into more than two decades of impacting lives. I’m still not sure if it is as strong as my other programs but bringing comfort to the recently bereaved has forever changed me. Each year there will be no complaints from me about what gift I will receive on Valentine’s Day or if my sweetie will be available for a great dinner out. I feel genuine joy and excitement every February 14th from making someone else’s life a little brighter.
Audraine Jackson owns Jackson Communications, an industry awarded communications business and is founder of J&V Cares, Inc., an Atlanta based nonprofit that brings joy into the recently bereaved and honors first responders every September 11th including administering the annual Beyond the Call of Duty awards. Her organization can be reached at https://jvcares.org/.
The Flowers to Widows program is executed under my nonprofit J & V Cares, Inc. (https://jvcares.org/).
J & V Cares, Inc. has been executing the program for a quarter of a century throughout metro Atlanta and beyond. It has impacted men and women along with families of first responders lost in the line of duty.
This year’s list includes the widow of a Roswell, Georgia officer killed while responding to a call, wife of a young DeKalb County officer lost in the line of duty answering a call at the CDC, loved ones of a DeKalb firefighter and a South Fulton police officer – all lost while serving our communities.
This year’s group reflects a diverse array of first responders including Caucasian, Black and Latino communities.
Last updated on February 6, 2026
