THE IRISH Cancer Society have been forced to cancel their annual Daffodil Day fundraising event in order to protect patients from the rising threat of coronavirus.
The annual fundraiser, in which volunteers take to the streets to raise money towards supporting cancer patients and their families as well as funding life-saving cancer research, is the charity's biggest fundraising event of the year, and the decision to cancel will have a huge effect on the society's funds.
Irish Cancer Society CEO Averil Power spoke of the difficult decision to cancel the event, saying:
“The Irish Cancer Society has taken the decision today to cancel all Daffodil Day street collections and events that were scheduled for March 27th.
“We have made this decision to protect the health and wellbeing of our patients, volunteers and supporters.
“We also want to focus all our energies on providing cancer patients and their families with the information, advice and support they need at this time.”
The inevitable loss of funds due to the cancellation means that Irish citizens have been encouraging each other to donate to the Irish Cancer Society directly, as many of their services rely directly on donations.
The @IrishCancerSoc canceled Daffodil Day yesterday due to the coronavirus.
Many of their services rely on donations especially from Daffodil Day
You can donate €4 now by texting CANCER to 50300. pic.twitter.com/vamQgBhYpg— The Morning Show (@morningecfm) March 11, 2020
Anyone who wishes to make a donation to the Irish Cancer Society can do so by texting CANCER to 50300.
The Irish Cancer Society has cancelled daffodil day due to public safety concerns. This is a massive hit to one of our most important charities. If you can, please text CANCER to 50300 to donate €4. For larger donations see below. pic.twitter.com/hR443CF2pY
— Dr Robert Bohan Artist (@RobertBohan) March 11, 2020
Alternatively, you can donate directly via the ICS's Daffodil Day Donation Page, in which they write: "Because our street sales and events have been cancelled on 27 March due to coronavirus, your support now is more important than ever".
You can donate on the website by following this link.
See More: Cancer, Coronavirus, Daffodil Day, Irish Cancer Society
