KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As part of Women's History month, 41 Action News shines a light on local women making an impact in our community.
Colleen Monroe is doing just that by using her business to help other women flourish, despite their previous traumas.
Monroe is the creative director and owner of Floraloom Studio.
"I love flowers and I love making things from a sketched out drawing on paper and bringing it to life," Monroe said.
Through different colors, flowers and designs, she's able to bring her ideas to life inside HiTides Coffee located inside Collective EX in the Crossroads, where her studio is located.
"I brought my whole flower studio from Los Angeles during the pandemic," Monroe said. "I started moving my company towards e-commerce, shipping a lot of wreath-making kits."
Monroe shipped out over 250 kits between November and December.
"And some of that, we were working with brands like Spotify and Twitter and Amazon," Monroe said. "And it was just so cool to be able to take this vision that I had dreamed up when I was in L.A."
She's passionate about flower design but also planting seeds of creativity and a safe space for women who are survivors of domestic violence.
"I just wanted to build out a flower design program that helped women from underprivileged backgrounds, crisis backgrounds, to give them a sense of purpose and sense of hope through flower design," Monroe said.
She's had this vision since her time in Los Angeles. When she moved to Kansas City about six months ago, she quickly connected with Newhouse KC shelter and its President and CEO, Courtney Thomas.
"It's important for the people there in the shelter to have (a) mission to learn new skills," Thomas said. "To have opportunities to see what their true potential is, and this partnership does just that."
Providing them a job opportunity and entrepreneurial skills, the kits are put together by women Monroe calls her "Flower Crew."
Monroe said the partnership is all about connecting through creativity.
"There's something about the act of making things that allows you to open up and tell your story," Monroe said. "And so I have to say every single time we are creating together, stories are shared."
Hope is also restored.
"I'm a childhood survivor of domestic violence, and being able to see the change in these women and their hope for tomorrow is so promising," Thomas said. "And knowing every single day that our team and our partnerships like this through Floraloom, there's hope. There's hope for these women that they don't have to remain stuck of what to them feels like their only normal."
To celebrate and honor Women's History Month, Floraloom is also partnering with United WE, an organization empowering women in the community. A percentage of proceeds from the wreath kits will benefit United WE. All kits are made by women at Newhouse.
To purchase or learn more information about Floraloom, visit the studio website.