It’s been said that the measure of a community’s health is based on what the community does for neighbors in their darkest hours. Residents of Lehi, Utah, took this to heart when a local infant, a baby boy named Beckett Stinson, was in serious need of a liver transplant. Many pitched in and lent their support for the child and his family, and standing proudly among them was Lehi’s own Bellaview Landscape and Garden Center.
When a regular customer of Bellaview and friend of the Stinson family brought the medical emergency to the attention of the garden center’s management earlier this year, they quickly decided to help. Co-owner Veronica Bori, who operates Bellaview with her husband, George, says a fundraising event was organized at the garden center in May to help Beckett’s parents afford the transplant.
“One of our customers goes to church with the Stinsons,” Bori says. “So she just approached us and asked if we would be willing to let them use our facility to hold this event. We said ‘absolutely, yes.’ We opened our doors for them, we donated some items for their silent auction … and the community just came out. It was really just a good thing to be a part of.”
The community’s outreach efforts paid off when Beckett received his operation in June. To celebrate, Bellaview hosted a special version of its second-annual fall festival on Oct. 10 in honor of the local child’s recovery. The event featured hay bale rides, food and refreshments, a scavenger hunt and other community attractions. Bori says the large turnout for this year’s event indicates a feeling of solidarity within the Lehi community.
“We were very pleased with the attendance, so we hope to make it a yearly tradition, just doing that for the community as a ‘thank you.’ We’re a local business and it’s a family business, so for us, it’s important to be part of the community and for people to recognize that,” Bori says. “That’s a small way for us to give thanks to the customers toward the end of the season.”
As a local independent business, Bellaview takes pride in making shows of support for neighbors and friends through good business practices and community outreach, Bori says.
“It’s really important to establish ourselves as caring about our customers and that’s why we’re always looking for ways to let them feel that we’re not just after their money,” Bori says. “We really want them to have a feeling of being appreciated, whether they buy from us or don’t, that they can come back and know they’re always welcome and we’ll take care of them in any way possible. We just want to grow with the community.”