About the Sunflowers
Sunflowers symbolize happiness, optimism and longevity. They turn their faces to follow the sun’s journey, continually seeking the warmth that helps them flourish. Similarly, the mission of The Chris & Suzy DeWolf Family Innovation Center for Aging & Dementia is to create a place that continuously helps older adults and those living with dementia to flourish.
The sunflower symbolizes the potential and possibilites that exist at the DeWolf Family Innovation Center for Aging & Dementia. Each sunflower contains 1,000 seeds, all of which can produce more flowers. At the DeWolf Innovation Center, the potential exists and endless possibilities await the process of discovery and creation.
New ideas are the norm here. Each new idea is like a sunflower seed that is nurtured by a system that is in place to foster growth from seed to full-blown flower.
Not all sunflowers are yellow. Some are a large variety, while some are small. Some are red and some are purple. The roots of sunflowers are also different, depending on whether the sunflower is an annual or a perennial. At the DeWolf Innovation Center, ideas that are generated and developed will be different, too. The ideas that bloom into prototypes will meet different needs. Some prototypes will be short-term, while others long-term. Some prototypes will be housed within the Innovation Center or within HallMar Village. Others will be housed elsewhere. Some prototypes will even be replicated in places far beyond Cedar Rapids because seeds will be transplanted.
“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. It is what the sunflowers do.” – Helen Keller
