Business Guru and cancer survivor Bobby Kerr gets behind Daffodil Day and urges businesses in County Offaly to do the same
Daffodil Day is taking place on Friday 11th March 2016 and the Irish Cancer Society and lead partner, Dell, are appealing to businesses in County Offaly to come on board to bring Daffodil Day to their workplace and help people across Ireland affected by cancer. Over 200 companies have already signed up to participate in Daffodil Day this year but the Society needs more businesses to get involved to ensure it can continue to provide its free services and support to people with cancer in County Offaly. Last year 4 companies in County Offaly supported Daffodil Day.
Bobby Kerr said “40,000 people hear the dreaded words ‘you have cancer’ every year and last year I was one of them. I was diagnosed with cancer of the head and neck. Cancer is a very serious disease and has a major impact on your life. I couldn’t have gotten through my diagnosis without support. I know that Daffodil Day funds free nationwide services that provide support for those with cancer, and their families, all over Ireland. So please support Daffodil Day on Friday March 11th.”
40,000 people will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and as cancer incidence grows so does demand for the Irish Cancer Society’s services. Latest figures show that 613 people from Offaly were diagnosed with cancer in 2013. The overall target for Daffodil Day 2016 is to raise €3.5 million, funds that will be used by the Society to continue to provide its free nationwide services.
Commenting on the importance of businesses across Ireland to participate in this Campaign, Mark Mellett, Head of Fundraising, Irish Cancer Society said; “Not only does taking part in Daffodil Day raise money for people affected by cancer, it is also a fun way for staff to come together to fight back against a disease that affects every family in Ireland. Doing Daffodil Day in your workplace offers a great opportunity for employee team building and can be hugely motivating for staff. Many companies understand the value of Corporate Responsibility and giving something back to the community in which they operate and by hosting a Daffodil Day event in your workplace you are making a real difference. We need these funds to respond to a growing demand for our services and with the help of the business community this Daffodil Day, we can get there. We are so grateful for the support given last year by employees in companies and would love to see them, and more come on board again this Daffodil Day.”
Night Nursing is one service funded by Daffodil Day. Seventy five percent of cancer patients wish to die at home surrounded by family, yet only 25% get to do so. The Irish Cancer Society provides the only night time care service for cancer patients in their own homes. In 2015 the Society’s nurses provided 7,956 nights of care to over 1,940 patients, 56 cancer patients in Offaly received 228 nights of care, this service is fully funded by the people of Ireland who consistently support the work of the Society.
Niamh Townsend, General Manager, Dell Ireland said: “Over the six years of our partnership with Daffodil Day our 2,500 employees have been fully involved in organising events, fundraising and selling daffodils on the street. It’s a cause that helps to bring everyone together and it has been a really rewarding experience for everyone. We’ve looked at how the skills that we use day to day in Dell can be leveraged for the benefit of the campaign – this has led to technical specialists developing and updating the Daffodil Day app we created with the Irish Cancer Society, our marketing team providing social media support and our logistics teams helping in the warehouses. It’s a great opportunity to work together to make a positive difference in the wider community and we would urge other companies and employers to get involved. You can help a great cause while also having a positive impact back into the workplace.”
In 2015 over 250 companies around Ireland signed up with the Irish Cancer Society to support Daffodil Day, raising over €303,000 for cancer support and services. A company can participate in many ways;
- Arrange a fundraising event in your workplace
- Sell boxes of daffodils and daffodil day merchandise
- Volunteer some time on Daffodil Day
Registering is easy and can be done by:
- Going to our website and registering online: www.cancer.ie/
daffodildayatwork - Emailing corporate@irishcancer.ie
- Calling the Corporate Partnerships team on 01 231 6625.
