Elizabeth and Mimi Greenberg

SIMSBURY — Elizabeth Greenberg of Simsbury was a freshman at Elon University when she learned that her friend Andrew was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.  While Andrew recovered from surgery, Elizabeth wanted to bring him flowers – but was told live flowers and plants were not allowed on the oncology ward, since they posed too great a threat from bacteria. Not to be deterred, she decided instead to perk up Andrew’s spirits with a different kind of flower: She created a colorful, whimsical, origami flower arrangement made from paper, that she then placed in a personalized decorated container.  Each blossom had a fortune-cookie-type message hidden within its interior. The idea was so well received that Elizabeth and her mom, Mimi Greenberg of Simsbury, decided to launch Non-Scents Flowers, a company that hand-makes and personalizes origami flowers arrangements for any occasion. Like her grandparents, Beatrice and the late Sidney Greenberg of West Hartford, Elizabeth wanted to use the flowers not only to lift the spirits of their recipients but also to benefit the community.  And so, a portion of the proceeds from the flowers purchased at the Hebrew Home and Hospital gift shop in West Hartford will be donated to the Home. For more info www.nonscentsflowers.com.