Worleys continue helping others
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on July 1, 2011 1:46 PM
For more than 30 years inside a modest flower shop, a simple philosophy has been exemplified -- one that the Goldsboro and Wayne County communities have come to associate with the business' proprietor and those who work alongside him.
For Don Worley, his wife, Patti, and their crew, helping others remains a calling, long after days spent mowing lawns for spouses of deployed airmen from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, giving discounted rates to all charities and churches, and handing out a free carnation to every woman who walked through their door.
So it doesn't surprise those loyal to Don's Florist that now -- even as Don battles leukemia -- the Worleys are opening their hearts again.
And this time, Mrs. Worley said, they are attempting to take on not just a single cause, but each plight they hear about as conversations unfold within the confines of a business that has always stood for something its owner says is far more important than turning a profit.
The Worleys have, again, launched a campaign to raise goods for the community -- anything and everything, they say, that can help those neighbors down on their luck.
Like the 16-year-old mother of two who just lost her job. Or the family whose home was destroyed by fire.
"If we can get some stuff in, we can help them," she said.
So they are calling on the community to donate whatever it can -- new or slightly-used items from maternity clothes to school supplies.
And then, whenever a call comes in -- or a patron tells a heart-wrenching story -- help will be within arm's reach.
"We see the need. We listen to people who come in," Mrs. Worley said. "That's it right there. The talking lets us know what's going on in the community. From there, it snowballs."
Donations can be dropped off at Don's Florist at 506 N. Spence Ave., during regular business hours. For more information, call 778-6638.