Guilford Rotary Projects - Rose Sale

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Annual Rose Sale

Every October!

For many years (circa 1968), the Rotary Club of Guilford has held a Rose Sale.  Some time in October, the Pinchbeck Rose Farm would let us come to their facility and pack a variety of roses.  Rotarians would sell these roses to be picked up at Bishop's Farm Market.  This served as a fundraiser and also provided the folks in Guilford an opportunity to buy a dozen of these premium roses for their enjoyment.

The Rotary Club--and all the people who had enjoyed Pinchbeck roses--were disappointed when the Pinchbeck Rose Farm was closed.  But then, Tom Pinchbeck and Jim Lyman recognized a need to give children who were diagnosed on the Autistic Spectrum the opportunity to have a meaningful job and continued opportunities to grow as an individual as they moved from their teenage years to adulthood.  And so, Roses for Autism began operation at the former Pinchbeck Rose Farm.

From their website, "Roses for Autism not only provides individuals on the autism spectrum the chance to learn the skills necessary to maintain meaningful employment, but also serves as a model that can be replicated nationwide to develop unique opportunities for them as a whole new competitive workforce."

Started in 2009, Roses for Autism is the first business endeavor for Growing Possibilities, a nonprofit social enterprise founded by Ability Beyond Disability that is dedicated to growing independence in the business world for individuals with Autism and other disabilities."

Guilford Rotary enthusiasticallly re-instated the Annual Rose Sale, recognizing that now we not only give people an opportunity to enjoy these roses but also help prepare young people take a meaningful place in our society.