Jay Curtis, a farmer and prostate cancer survivor, planted five acres of sunflowers last year to raise funds for the London Health Sciences Centre.
The project, “Blooms of Thanks and Hope for Others”, raised a little more than $10,000 and all proceeds were donated to Dr. Patrick Luke, a robotic surgeon expert with the centre.
“It was a small amount of money the way medical costs are, but it was my way of saying thank you to all the people, and especially him. He was amazing,” says Curtis.
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Why it matters: Donations in a sunflower field illustrated the success of a fundraising project and the generosity of the public.
After his surgery in fall 2020, Curtis was back to work within five weeks. He says his recovery was remarkable due to Luke’s minimally invasive approach.
“They go in through key holes and the robot [removes] most of the prostate gland that contains cancer. My recovery was remarkable in my opinion, due to that specialized minimal invasive prostate cancer therapy, the robotic style, with Dr. Luke being the expert in that.”
In spring 2021, Curtis wanted to show his gratitude to the medical team who worked with him. He planted five acres of sunflowers on land donated by his neighbour.
“[Sunflowers] represent a beautiful flower. They make people happy. I thought it would be great to have a field full of them to celebrate what I’ve been through,” says Curtis. “It was a great way to thank the people that helped me through what I went through.”
He got the idea after he saw another field a few years ago that had a similar concept, which raised funds for the family of a child who had died.
Curtis advertised the project through his Twitter account and an article in the London Free Press, but mainly through word of mouth.
The idea was for the public to visit the field in bloom, enjoy the natural beauty of sunflowers and do so for a good cause.
“Hundreds of people came out in August to witness the beauty of them blooming. I was very happy with how it went. It was a joy to see all kinds of strangers taking pictures with their family and kids.”
He was hoping to raise $1,000, which he surpassed 10 times over. He says he was amazed at the money raised, the project’s effect on people and their generosity with donations.
He would like to do it again on his own property and perhaps double the acreage to 10, with all donations given to the London Hospital.
“It’s just a great story, thanking a lot of people, but it’s just awareness for the science. It was the best way to show thanks and hope for others.”
Curtis says there are many people to thank for his project’s success, including Mike and Tammy Bechard, Belmont Farm Supply, Jason Persall, Mark Brock, Tony DeCorte, Kearney Planters, Bayer CropScience, Stu McMillan and everyone who donated.
“From my most troubling time I had, with all the worry, this sunflower project ‘Blooms of Thanks and Hope for Others’, turned into the most amazing experience.”
