‘Daffodil Days’ raises funds for American Cancer Society

Most people would not immediately associate bright yellow daffodils with cancer. But Mary Ann Miller and Andrea Curtis French are not most people.\nMiller, an undergraduate advisor in the Biology department, chairs the new IU Daffodil Days committee. Daffodil Days is one of the American Cancer Society’s oldest fundraisers, first organized in 1973, according to the ACS Web site.\nFrench, the ACS’s community representative, said residents who volunteer go out with forms and take orders for daffodils from January to mid-March. The flowers are usually delivered during the third week in March.\n“Daffodil Days pretty much works like any Girl Scout cookie campaign,” she said.\nDaffodils, being the first flowers of spring, represent hope and renewal, making them an inspirational symbol of hope for a cancerless future, according to the ACS Web site.\nFor Miller, Daffodil Days has personal undertones. When she was 12, her father died from pancreatic cancer.\n“I like to know that I’ve helped ... and in some way, I’ve tried,” she said.\nDaffodil Days came to Bloomington last year, due in large part to French’s efforts, Miller said.\nLast year, Daffodil Days raised $3,973 after expenses. This year, organizers hope to almost double that.\n“Our goal this year is a little over $7,000,” French said. “Now that we have a brand-new committee, we’re brave.”\nOrganizers are also enthusiastic about a subprogram within Daffodil Days entitled, “A Gift of Hope.” Instead of ordering for themselves, contributors now have the option of paying $25 to anonymously send their flowers, complete with a vase, to someone else.\nFrench said locally, these are distributed to patients at the Olcott Center For Cancer Education at Bloomington Hospital and to residents of nursing homes in the area. \nJanice Ross, manager of the Olcott Center for Cancer Education, agrees that the program is beneficial to patients.\n“I think it’s a great way to encourage people who are going through treatment,” Ross said.