April is Daffodil Month at the Canadian Cancer Society - Who are you fighting for?

MONTREAL, March 28, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - April is Daffodil Month. This spring, the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) would like Quebec to be covered in yellow, and this morning, launched a vast solidarity movement in the Montreal métro to encourage people in Quebec to support those living with cancer. Nothing is simpler than taking part in it! People in Quebec are asked to wear a daffodil during the month of April in support of those living with cancer.

"The daffodil is the symbol of life at the CCS in the courageous fight that we are leading against cancer," says Suzanne Dubois, Executive Director of the CCS, Quebec Division. Supporting Daffodil Month activities is showing solidarity with loved ones living with the disease and demonstrating your membership in a group of citizens fighting cancer."

Actress Marie Turgeon is Daffodil Month spokesperson for a second consecutive year. "Throughout the month of April, I would like to ask everyone in Quebec to show their support for people living with cancer. This campaign is a way of for all of us to say that nobody has to face cancer alone."

During the launch, commuters in the Montreal métro are invited to take part in a collective work by writing the name of a person living with cancer, who they will fight for in April, on a large mural. This mural, in the form of a daffodil, will be displayed tomorrow at the National Assembly (March 29). Through this act, the CCS wishes to keep the pressing needs of people living with cancer alive and at the centre of the concerns of our elected leaders.

Daffodil Month ambassadors
In April, Marie Turgeon and the CCS can count on the following personalities to act as Daffodil Month ambassadors in the social media: Natasha St-Pier, Tammy Verge, Jean-Michel Dufaux, Benoît Roberge, Steven Guilbeault, Justin Trudeau, Claudia Larochelle, Denis Coderre, and Angelo Cadet.

In April, the CCS would like to ask you to:

• Buy fresh daffodils from March 29 to April 1. Two million daffodils will be sold by 19,671 volunteers at 1,770 points of sale in public locations (at the cost of $5 for 3 or $10 for 10).
• Proudly wear the CCS's daffodil pin, sold at fresh daffodil sales points from March 29 to April 1 and participating BMR retailers in Quebec during the whole month of April.
• Display a virtual daffodil on your Facebook profile photo as a sign of solidarity with a person you are supporting in his or her fight.
• Encourage one of the nine ambassador teams by making a donation to their team on facebook.com/sccquebec.
• Take part in the Twitter conversation (#DaffodilMonth).
• Communicate with the Cancer Information Service at 1 888 939-3333 to find out about Daffodil Month activities or for any other question related to cancer.

The money collected during Daffodil Month makes a real difference and goes towards helping the CCS fund research projects that will save lives, offer the latest reliable information on cancer, provide support services to the community, and engage advocacy with the government for laws and public policies that protect the health of the people in Quebec.

Cancer is the leading causing of death in Quebec

• On average, somebody is diagnosed with cancer every 11 minutes in Quebec (every 3 minutes in Canada. Every 26 minutes, somebody dies of cancer in Quebec (every 7.5 minutes in Canada).
• Today, more than 60% of Canadians who have been diagnosed with cancer survive. In the 1940s, the survival rate was around 25%.

André Beaulieu, Spokesperson and Senior Advisor, Public Relations
Canadian Cancer Society - Quebec Division
[email protected] | 514 393-3444