Daffodil Month campaign is ready to bloom around Aurora

March 26, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

As the weather warms up later this week, and mountains of snow start to dissipate, it won’t be too long now before bursts of colour come up out of the ground in the form of the first spring flowers.

The arrival of the spring also heralds the arrival of Daffodil Days for the Canadian Cancer Society. Beginning in April, bunches of the sunny-hued blooms – along with their durable lapel pin counterparts – will be sold in grocery stores, LCBOs, and other outlets throughout the community, and once again heading up the Aurora fundraising efforts are Nancee Webb.

Ms. Webb, a long-time volunteer of the Canadian Cancer Society, was recently honoured for her many years of service with the group at a special ceremony for volunteers participating in a myriad of the society’s programs, at the offices of the Regional Municipality of York.

There, perhaps with a captive audience, organizers seized the opportunity to confirm her continued involvement in the program, which she was only too happy to accept.

“It’s a lot of fun, and a lot of our success has to do with our wonderful volunteers,” says Ms. Webb. “We have a tremendous group of people who have been with us, some for a long, long time. There’s some young folks, some older folks, and lots in between. There are those who have had cancer and those who haven’t, but they are all so dedicated. If ever I can’t fit a slot at a particular location, I just have to give them a call and they will step up to the plate”

As Aurora convenor of the Daffodil Program, she says she is very proud of how it has developed over the years. While June’s Relay for Life is often the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Canadian Cancer Society across the country, not just in York Region, there is a special charm about the daffodils.

“It is a lot of fun because people love to see the flowers blooming in the spring and it is just so positive,” she says. “When I am out selling them in stores, people are just very happy and grateful to see us there. The Society figures out the locations and that is why we try to make sure we have someone at every local LCBO. We find they are usually the most generous people.

“I am very proud of this. It gives us a warm feeling and it is just so nice to give back to the community in different ways. I lost a lot of family members to cancer, so this is very important for me. I like to think what I am doing is maybe helping to find a cure by raising this money.”

This time around, however, the Canadian Cancer Society is trying something new with their campaign, accepting volunteer registration online. To put your name forward for the Campaign, including shifts, visit www.cancer.ca.

“When it comes to the daffodil campaign, all it really takes is a couple of hours on Friday, Saturday or Sunday,” says Ms. Webb. “It is fun, especially if you like to meet people and if gives you a good feeling. Almost everyone has had cancer touch them at some point, so it is nice to help people give back.”