Irish Cancer Society thanks Daffodil Day supporters

News Article | 27 May 2013

The Irish Cancer Society is thanking all those who supported Daffodil Day 2013, which took place on Friday 22nd of March during disastrous weather conditions that severely impacted the fundraising day.

The annual campaign, which is kindly supported by lead partner Dell, saw the country turn yellow as Society volunteers took to the streets to sell daffodils and Daffodil Day merchandise. Unfortunately due to the poor weather money collected from street sellers around the country on Daffodil Day were 50% lower than usual in some places. An emergency appeal was launched to re-coup the shortfall and appeal to those that could not donate as usual due to the weather. The appeal saw just under 30,000 people donate following Daffodil Day, with donations being made online, by phone and by text. This positive response to the appeal saw the initial shortfall recover to within 20% of the original target. 

Across the country, individuals and businesses got involved by selling Daffodils, hosting Daffodil Day fundraising events, encouraging employee initiatives and by donating online. The Society would like to extend its sincere gratitude to volunteers and supporters who lent their time, efforts and financial support to the day. The Society also wants to express their thanks to the public for their fast and generous response to the emergency appeal. 

John McCormack, Chief Executive Officer, of the Irish Cancer Society said: “We are so grateful to everyone for the support we received around Daffodil Day, as usual our volunteers really went above and beyond to make the day a success. Unfortunately we could not plan for the unprecedented weather conditions that devastated fundraising efforts in many parts of the country. The outpouring of support in the weeks following Daffodil Day was truly heart-warming. Thanks to the generosity of the public we are on course to bring in 80% of our target of €3.4million. While we are pleased with this result we are still experiencing a significant shortfall and we are now looking to cut costs in the hope that we can maintain the same quality and volume of service to those who rely on it.”

The Daffodil Day campaign funds vital services including:

  • Cancer Information Services, incorporating the National Cancer Helpline which is staffed by specialist cancer nurses supports anyone concerned about cancer. During 2012 our nurses supported 28,383 enquiries
  • The Society’s Night Nursing service provides care to cancer patients in their last days of their life so they can stay at home with their families. During 2012 the Society’s night nurses cared for 1,818 patients, providing 7,350 nights of care
  • Financial Aid is available to cancer patients suffering financial hardship as a result of their diagnosis. During 2012 financial aid to the value of €1,047,461 was provided to 1,753 cancer patients across the country

The Society is now encouraging everyone who participated in this year’s Daffodil Day campaign to bank their funds as soon as possible.

If you didn’t support Daffodil Day this year – you still can!