American Cancer Society Announces Daffodil Days Campaign

The American Cancer Society is celebrating the hope of spring today with a public launch of its annual Daffodil Days fundraising campaign. Today commences as the official period for daffodil order-taking, awareness of daffodil products available this year, promotion of the www.cancer/daffodils interactive website, volunteer recruitment and delivery of the blossoms in time for spring.

“We are excited by the hope and spirit that Daffodil Days brings to those who have supported the campaign year after year,” says Patrice Lestrange Bedrosian, State Director of Communications for the American Cancer Society. “This year, we are working toward expanding that reach into each New England community, alerting them of the opportunities to get involved and how even a $10 dollar donation can make a tremendous difference for neighbors and friends faced with a cancer diagnosis this year,” she added.

Daffodil Days offers a bouquet of products:

• For a $10 gift, donors receive a bouquet of ten fresh daffodil blossoms.

• Three mini-daffodil bulbs in a soil filled pot are available for a $15 donation.

• A bouquet of ten daffodils and a Boyd’s collectable stuffed bear for a $25 donation.

• Gift of Hope: daffodils are delivered to a cancer patient undergoing treatment for a $25 donation and up.

• Bear Hugs for Hope: special edition, collectable bear is delivered to a child impacted by cancer. $25

Flower and product orders can be placed now through March 1 by calling the American Cancer Society at 1.800.227.2345 or making an online donation at www.cancer.org/daffodils.

Delivery occurs the week before spring, beginning March 18.

According to the Society, this longstanding program, which historically coincides with the coming of spring, is expected to raise over $500,000 in Connecticut to support the fight against cancer.

For more than 35 years, the American Cancer Society has, through its Daffodil Days program, been sharing hope for a world with less cancer and more birthdays by really helping people get well, stay well, find cures and fight back against cancer. Although Daffodil Days involves offering daffodils to donors every spring in appreciation for their contributions, it is about more than just giving beautiful flowers; it is an opportunity to share hope for a world free of cancer.

Volunteer opportunities abound -- from school children to corporate CEOs – to assist in taking daffodil orders, sorting and packing the bouquets for order fulfillment and/or delivering daffodils in your community during the week of March 18. Supporting Daffodil Days as a volunteer or a donor provides the knowledge that you are helping fight cancer, and what a poignant thought that is as we welcome spring.

Dollars raised through Daffodil Days enable the Society to offer free programs and services that help people fight cancer with courage and optimism, while it provides day-to-day help, emotional support, and 24-hour information to help ease the cancer experience. Additionally, daffodil contributions provide the Society with much-needed dollars to fund groundbreaking cancer research, educate people about the importance of cancer prevention and early detection and advocate for meaningful public health policies that benefit the community.

For more information about Daffodil Days, to request flowers, or to get involved with the program, contact the American Cancer Society at 1.800.ACS.2345 or www.cancer.org/daffodils

For nearly a century, we have fought for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. Fueled in part by donations from Daffodil Days, one way we save lives is by finding cures -- through groundbreaking research into cancer's causes and cures. There are nearly 13.7 million people in America who have survived cancer - and countless more who have avoided it - who will be celebrating birthdays this year. If you've ever known someone with cancer, you know that birthdays are a very significant milestone. You can join the movement for more birthdays and fight back against cancer by enrolling in a new research study called the Cancer Prevention Study - 3 (CPS-3), this year at select cities in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The American Cancer Society's Epidemiology Research Program is inviting all men and women between the ages of 30 and 65 years who reside in New England and have no personal history of cancer to join this historic research study. The ultimate goal is to enroll at least 300,000 adults from various racial/ethnic backgrounds from across the U.S. By joining CPS-3, you can help us understand how to prevent cancer, which will save lives and give people more of their most precious resource: time. More time with their families and friends, more memories, more celebrations . . . and more birthdays. For a complete list of locations and information please visit cancer.org/cps3NE or call toll free at 1.888.604.5888.

The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end cancer for good. As a global grassroots force of three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping you stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early, helping you get well by being there for you during and after a diagnosis, by finding cures through groundbreaking discovery and fighting back through public policy. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.8 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, an estimated 13.7 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.