CLEARFIELD – Volunteers in Clearfield County are preparing for the annual Daffodil Days campaign for the American Cancer Society.
Darlene Rowles, who has worked with this program for about 27 years, said the group is currently taking orders for the spring flowers and will continue until Feb. 20 with deliveries taking place the week of March 20.
“This colorful first flower of spring represents a campaign that brings hope to cancer patients, their caregivers, and families, while providing much-needed funding to support the groundbreaking research, programs, and services of the American Cancer Society,” according to a recent press release from the ACS.
You can order the flowers locally from any Relay For Life Team member.
Rowles explained that she isn’t sure how many volunteers are involved with getting orders since there are 20 to 25 teams with varying numbers of members.
You can order the flowers as a bunch of 10 for $10, a bunch in a vase for $15, or potted mini daffodils for $15.
These mini-pots have buds, which open in a few days and after they fade away, the bulbs can be planted to come up next spring.
Tulips in bunches of 10 are also sold for $15 or in a vase for $25.
Businesses can purchase flowers for their entire office for $500, which will get you 500 daffodils in boxes of 50 bunches, according to the press release.
One of the most popular options is the “Gift of Hope”: for $25, bunches of daffodils are delivered to the Hahne and Yingling Cancer Centers.
“These go directly to the patients receiving treatment,” Darlene said.
Locally last year the daffodil sales totaled about $8,600 but prior to the pandemic they were taking in $10,000 in sales.
One of the reasons for the drop is they didn’t do any direct sales, which is when they set up at a local business and sell flowers directly. This effort was cancelled due to ongoing COVID concerns.
Darlene is anxious for them to get back to doing this again this year.
If you don’t know anyone selling daffodils, you can call the ACS office at 814-762-6204. Please note the office is staffed by volunters and you may need to leave a message, but someone will get back to you, Darlene said.
If you are interested in collecting orders at your business or church, you can get an order form by emailing Senior Development Manager Sharon O’Keiff-Fusco at sharon.okeiff-fusco@cancer.org.
A large number of volunteers are needed to make this campaign a success because all of the flowers need to be sold within five days and they need to be kept cool, she explained.
They are actually delivered to Jack’s Distributing, a business which has the space and equipment to do this. In previous years, they used West Side Distributing for its warehouse, she said, but unfotunately that business has closed.
The flowers are sorted by the volunteers and many are delivered while others are picked up at the ACS office at 108 Rear N. Second St., in Clearfield.
Darlene’s involvment in this cause began because she worked in the radiology department at the Clearfield Hospital where she and her co-workers saw and became attached to cancer patients.
“That’s what drove the Imaging Department to start a Relay for Life team.”
Darlene’s volunteer work for this and other groups led to her being named the Clearfield Business and Professional Women’s Club “Woman of the Year” for 2020/2021.
She is happy to support the ACS, which spends so much money on cancer research that they are second only to the government in that department, she said.
The ACS is also a source of information for people fighting the disease with a website and online community to help answer qustions and discuss treatment options.
Through the Cancer Survivors Network and Reach to Recovery Web site and app, patients can connect with others who have overcome the same challenges from the disease.
For more information, please go to cancer.org or call the helpline at 800-227-2345.
