Cambridge Daffodil Day organiser Nicky White with some of the 1800 iconic daffodil pins, available around town for a gold coin donation to raise money for the Cancer Society’s biggest annual fundraiser and awareness campaign.
Cambridge’s new Daffodil Day coordinator, Nicky White, is hoping retailers will get behind the annual event next Friday and ‘paint the town yellow’ – adding the colour to window displays in honour of the day. “It would be great to see the whole town get behind such an important cause, even if they don’t have a counter box of daffodil pins or anyone out the front selling,” she said.
It’s Nicky’s first time organising the Cancer Society fundraiser in Cambridge, coming in “quite late in the game” around five weeks ago.
“Like everyone else, I have been affected by cancer with family and friends,” Nicky explained, adding that when the opportunity came up to organise the appeal in Cambridge she jumped at the chance.
With 70 volunteers and growing on the books, 20 counter boxes and nine stands around Cambridge and Leamington, and collection running next Friday and Saturday (August 31 and September 1), Nicky has her work cut out for her. “Lots of loyal volunteers have come back this year, plus heaps of new people to Cambridge and young people who want to help,” she said. “But we could always do with more help.”
If you are interested in helping with the Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day appeal, please phone Nicky on 020 4156 1954.
Last year, Daffodil Day raised $14,180 in Cambridge, part of the $648,462 raised in the Waikato/Bay of Plenty. Nationally, the appeal raised $4.5 million to support the work of the Cancer Society.
The society offers accommodation to all major hospitals in New Zealand for patients if their treatment requires frequent hospital visits, but they don’t live nearby. This service alone cost $4 million last year. The Cancer Society is also the largest charitable funder in cancer research in the country, spending $4.8 million on research in 2017/2018.
This year more than 1,400 volunteers will help at over 250 collection sites in the Waikato/Bay of Plenty, with every dollar donated supporting local people with cancer, their whānau, friends and carers. Money raised will also fund education, advocacy and cancer research.
People can also donate online at daffodilday.org.nz or at any ANZ branch.
