Bloomhaven
The Bloomhaven Foundation School of Floralcraft & Artistry is a registered 501c3 nonprofit work-study program designed for teens in foster care throughout Charleston and the Lowcountry to learn floral design led by Sara Skinner. Students are immersed in a variety of flowers every week, gaining hands-on job experience working with Sara on real weddings, learning the fundamentals of balanced design, budgeting, and techniques essential to starting a career in the event industry when they leave care.
the Bloomhaven foundation
School of floralcraft & artistry
our work is about more than just throwing weddings and parties. we’re fostering a love of floral design through teaching. introducing bloomhaven!
The Bloomhaven Foundation School of Floralcraft & Artistry is a brand new 501c3 work-study program offering immersive, hands on courses in event design and production created specifically for teens in foster care in Charleston and the Lowcountry led by Sara Skinner of Scarlet & Co.
Youth in foster care are disproportionately subject to unemployment, educational setbacks, and homelessness; but the Bloomhaven Foundation pledges to cultivate, teach, and prepare youth for careers in floral design and artistry with job placements and ongoing community support for graduates. From sketch to showtime, students learn it all: concept development, palette curation, floral styling, structural builds, digital renderings, tent treatments, ordering, recipes, and more.
We believe in shaping futures; one bloom, one build, one breakthrough at a time.
Students ages 13+ are immersed in a variety of beautiful flowers every week, learning the fundamentals of floral how to make bouquets, boutonnieres, bud vases, wreaths, and more, with many of their arrangements being donated to retirement homes and hospices. Younger students learn fundamental floral design skills at our free weekly classes taught at various group homes around Charleston, while our older college-aged students have the opportunity to join our team for a season or two as interns. They gain real-life job experience (and paychecks!) working on weddings and in the studio leading to better employment opportunities when they leave foster care.
And now that Bloomhaven is registered as a proper non-profit, our goal is to provide graduates with guaranteed job placements, ongoing community support, and assistance in securing or furnishing their first apartments. Make a donation or inquire below for more ways to help!
We’re leading the way in creating job opportunities for teens living in foster homes as they prepare to leave care.
Contact us!
FAQ’s
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Our goal is to introduce youths to careers in the event industry with hands-on job training. We also provide graduates of our internship program with job placements, ongoing community support, and assistance in securing or furnishing their first apartments.
Younger students learn basic floral design skills at our free weekly classes taught at various group homes in Charleston, while our older college-aged students have the opportunity to join our team for a season or two as interns. They gain real-life job experience (and paychecks!) working on weddings and in the studio leading to better employment opportunities when they leave foster care.
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Charleston, SC hosts around 4,000 weddings per year and sadly about 90% of the flowers go straight into the trash afterward. But we’re changing that with Bloomhaven by using leftover wedding flowers in classes every week! Students practice what they’re learning by refashioning leftovers into smaller bouquets and arrangements, which we share with residents at various retirement homes around Charleston.
We’re also gifted with fresh flowers from our friends at Charleston Wholesale Florist and Aperio Farms enabling the kids to learn how to handle and process fresh flowers.
It’s a win all around!
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Donate your wedding flowers! Florists, brides, and planners in Charleston, please contact us below to coordinate the pick-up of your leftover flowers during breakdown or the following day.
Sponsor Amazon Wish List items for our students
Sponsor supplies for our students. Contact us below or simply call Charleston Wholesale Florist to pay for fresh product for us one week!
Do you have a career in the hospitality industry you’d like to share with our youth? Maybe you’re a chef at a catering company or run a print shop? Talk to us about work placement or hosting an intern.
Volunteer to teach a class or invite the kids to a “field trip” to your business! We’d love to introduce students to all kinds of career paths and job opportunities in hospitality. Contact me below and tell me your idea!
Stay tuned for more opportunities to get involved by joining our newsletter (we’ll eventually start one… someday).
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We would be thrilled to teach a class at your group home or foster program. Sara is CPI & TFA certified and working on CASA certification to be able to best serve our students, especially those dealing with trauma or past abuse. Please contact us below to talk more.
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Classes are completely free! Our instructors donate their time and our flowers are leftovers after events or donated by Aperio Farms or Charleston Wholesale Florist.
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Students ages 18-25 are welcome to join our upcoming Summer Program starting July 2025. Classes will be taught Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00am -2:00pm with lunch breaks at 12:00pm. Transportation assistance is available.
inquire below for details!
