Daffodils give cancer patients hope

    PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – Daffodil Days is one of the American Cancer Society’s oldest and most beloved fund-raising programs. For more than 30 years, Daffodil Days has enabled individuals, small businesses, corporations, schools, faith-based groups and other community organizations to join the Society’s fight against cancer by raising money and sharing hope for a future without this disease. In the past 12 years alone, Daffodil Days has raised nearly $200 million nationwide. In 2006, residents from all over Maine helped the Society raise over $225,000 through the sale of these beautiful yellow flowers.
     Daffodil Days is coming to Aroostook County in March. The American Cancer Society is looking for volunteers during February and March to assist in taking orders, packing and delivering daffodils. To help fight cancer by volunteering with the Daffodil Days program or to place an order, contact the American Cancer Society at 800-ACS-2345, any time day or night.
“This program is a great and easy way to make a difference in your community by raising money to help eliminate cancer as a life-threatening disease,” said Marie Roberge, community executive for the American Cancer Society. “Seeing the joy on people’s faces when we deliver daffodils gives me such a sense of pride, and I know we’re giving hope to others.”
Aroostook County residents have until March 10 to place advance orders for daffodils. For a donation of $7, people will receive a bouquet of fresh-cut daffodils. Or for a donation of $20, The Gift of Hope is a bouquet of ten daffodils given as an anonymous gift to cancer patients or others in need at local hospitals, nursing homes and community health centers. This year also marks the addition of Hugh R. Hope, the second in a series of special Boyds™ Bears designed exclusively for the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days. The Bear and a Bunch™ includes a 12-inch-tall plush, rust-colored, bean-filled bear with brown eyes and a denim cap and a bouquet of 10 daffodils that can be ordered for a donation of $25. March is also National Colon Cancer Awareness Month. Colon cancer is the third most common cause of cancer and cancer death in both men and women and is the rare case in which testing can actually prevent the disease. In 2007, it is estimated that approximately 800 Maine people will be diagnosed with colon cancer and about 300 will die from the disease. Sending a bouquet of daffodils to someone 50 or older is a great way to remind them to talk to their health care provider about colon cancer screenings to help stop colon cancer before it starts. For more information about colon cancer, contact your American Cancer Society at 800-ACS-2345, any time day or night, or visit www.cancer.org.
The American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering through research, education, advocacy and patient services. Call 800-ACS-2345, 24 hours a day, any day of the year, for cancer information, connections to local resources or simply to talk with a caring person when you or a family member needs strength and encouragement.