Daffodil Day 2022 is upon us, making now the most important time of year for all of us to pitch in and help out Kiwi families experiencing cancer.
The day symbolises hope for all New Zealanders impacted by cancer as all proceeds go to the Cancer Society, who are experts at providing support for impacted whānau.
The team there knows the very best ways it can help out families in need: With counselling, driving services, accommodation and other essential support services all throughout Aotearoa.
"Cancer doesn't just affect an individual; it affects their entire whānau. Having support means that they can focus on the important things like spending time together without having the stress of worrying about things like how they will get to treatment," said Lucy Elwood, the Cancer Society National CEO.
"Daffodil Day is the most important fundraising event of the year for us. The donations we receive enable us to provide the mahi that we do."
Everyday New Zealanders reaching into their pockets on Daffodil Day is a massive help to the Cancer Society, but it has other major helpers too. ANZ has been supporting the organisation for 32 years, over which time $22 million has been raised by the bank, its customers and staff.
"We're really proud of the work we do to fundraise for this important cause. Every year our staff are out collecting outside branches and raising funds throughout the country," said ANZ CEO Antonia Watson.
"The Cancer Society is the only organisation that funds research into all types of cancers, and provides support to anyone affected by cancer, including families and friends, no matter what age you are or the type of cancer someone might have.
"Cancer impacts the lives of most New Zealanders and ANZ staff are no different. We know our support of the Cancer Society is vital to ensuring New Zealanders across the country can continue to benefit from the support services they provide."
"We couldn't do what we do without the support we receive from ANZ," said Elwood.
"The tens of millions of dollars they've helped us to raise since 1990 is funding we would not have had without them as a major sponsor. The staff at ANZ are also amazing supporters running their own Daffodil Day fundraisers every year."
Every dollar raised for Daffodil Day will go towards cancer care for patients and their whānau, education and awareness programmes, and life-saving cancer research.
"Unfortunately, in the last two years both the street collection and in-person fundraising activities have been cancelled due to COVID-19 lockdowns so it's really exciting that people will be able to take to the streets and arrange events to fundraise again," said Watson.
"If people have the means to make a donation, that's great – however there should be no pressure to do so. There are plenty of other ways to support the fundraising effort such as taking part in a fundraising activity or through volunteer work."
Indeed, times are tough in 2022 for a lot of New Zealanders, but any amount that can be donated will help - even if it's just the cost of a couple of flat whites.
"Every donation counts. We know the cost of living is having an impact on families, and anyone who makes a donation of the size that they can manage should feel nothing but pride in knowing they have helped us provide services to people with cancer," said Elwood.
Every day, 71 New Zealanders are diagnosed with cancer. That means if you're reading this, there's a good chance someone you know has had a cancer diagnosis and you know how worthy it is to support the Cancer Society.
"People who need our care and coordination services are going through what is likely to be a very rough time of their lives and having support makes a genuine difference in their experience, knowing they do not have to face cancer alone. It is humbling for us to have the privilege of being able to see that first hand," said Elwood.
"Recently we had a guest in our Hamilton Lions Lodge who was staying with us while her partner was in Waikato Hospital receiving treatment. He has cancer in his lip and experienced a number of delays with diagnosis which unfortunately meant that the cancer had grown and he needed a number of treatments.
"Over the course of their treatment they've stayed with us at our Dunedin Lodge, Auckland Domain Lodge and now Lions Lodge in Hamilton. Being able to be with them throughout their entire cancer treatment has made the world of difference. The ripple effects of cancer are much wider than just the patient, which is why we also support the whānau."
Cancer doesn't stop, and neither does the Cancer Society with their efforts to make sure no one goes through cancer alone.
If you are in a position to show your support, no matter how large or small, you can do so now here.
This article was created for ANZ.
