On April 1^st our staff gathered together to celebrate the beginning of Daffodil Month. We were honoured to have our new Minister of Health, Michael de Jong, proclaim April as Daffodil Month and April 27th Daffodil Day.

Honourable Mike de Jong, Minister of Health

Like so many others, Mr. de Jong has his own story of someone close to him going through cancer and he could very much relate to the concept of wearing a daffodil pin to show support to others on their cancer journey.

We all have very personal reasons for wearing the pin. The daffodil pin unites us and says we are all cancer fighters. It lets people know they are not alone; that they are supported by friends, family, and the Society through our many support services.

In this video from our launch, I share the very personal reasons I wear the daffodil pin this April.

How about you, readers? Who are you fighting for?

If you don’t have your pin yet, visit fightback.ca to find locations in your community where they are available by donation.

It takes courage to face cancer.  We invite you to give courageously.

On behalf of cancer patients and their families, our thanks.

The Canadian Cancer Society’s Daffodil Campaign kicks into high gear on April 1st – although you might see some cut daffodils available (by donation) this week too.

Everyone here in BC and the Yukon is so excited to see our “Daffodil Day” from 2010, expanded into a nation-wide, month long campaign this year.
 
April is Daffodil Month – and you’ll be seeing and hearing a lot from us the whole month long. Volunteers and staff will be canvassing door to door, we’ll have street teams with flowers, and of course, the very popular daffodil pins. We’re asking every Canadian to wear the pin as a sign of support for people living with the disease as well as for those loved ones we have lost.
 
Go to fightback.ca to find out where you can get your pin and for more details on activities happening here in BC and the Yukon.  You can also find us on facebook at www.facebook.com/canadiancancersocietybcy and look for tweets from @cancersocietybc.

And don’t forget Daffodil Day is April 27! We’ve got some great things planned for that special day – I think I’ll keep them under my hat just now, but more details to come, I promise!

Join the fight. Wear a daffodil. Give generously this April.

For those of us in the Canadian Cancer Society,  daffodils have a special significance.  They have long been recognized as our symbol, and evoke feelings of hope and renewal—or as one of our supporters told us, they are “relentlessly cheerful”.

For years, in the latter part of March, we have had live daffodils available for purchase or donation as a fundraiser for the important work we do in funding cancer research, providing support programs and leading prevention initiatives.

Wearing my daffodil pin proudly at our 2010 Daffodil Day event.

Last year, we tried something new.  We introduced a daffodil pin, which I proudly wear in the photo above. We encouraged British Columbians to make a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society and by wearing a daffodil pin in April, showing people who are on a cancer journey that they are not alone. 

And show them we did.  Last year, we distributed 400,000 pins in BC and our biggest problem was keeping up with the demand for more!

This was a pilot initiative in 2010, and because it was so successful, it is now going to be implemented across the country through all divisions of the Canadian Cancer Society. 

This year, we believe six million Canadians will wear the daffodil pin. 

Imagine if you or one of your loved ones were one of the roughly 175,000 people in this country who will be diagnosed with cancer in 2011, and everywhere you turned you saw someone wearing this badge of courage, wishing you well.

You wouldn’t feel alone.  You’d feel less frightened.  You’d deepen your resolve to fight back.

So when you have an opportunity to obtain one of our daffodil pins, please do so.  And if you can spare some time to volunteer to distribute these pins and collect donations for us, that would be terrific!  Please check out www.cancervolunteer.ca  or contact one of our local offices.