Cancer Society Auckland chief executive Andrew Young says with 1 in 3 New Zealanders getting cancer at some time the Daffodil Day fundraiser is as important as ever.
This year it falls on August 30, but because of the number of people working at home since Covid, volunteers will be on the streets on the Thursday and Saturday as well handing out daffodils and collecting donations.
“This is our biggest day of the year, Friday August 30. We don’t get any direct government funding so we are really reliant on the goodwill of the New Zealand public who believe in the services we provided to all the people impacted by cancer, so it’s huge for us,” Mr Young says.
Because of projections the number of people being diagnosed with cancer will jump from 1 in 3 to 1 in 2 within 20 years, including increasing numbers of maori and Pasifika, the target this year for research funding has been raised to $5.5 million.
