Daffodil Day Fundraising Brought in More than €1.58 million This Year

Bratislava, 13 June (TASR) - More than €1.58 million was collected during the 30th annual Daffodil Day, a fundraising event organised by the League against Cancer, the league's CEO Eva Kovacova announced at a news conference earlier this week, adding that the definitive sum will be known after the SMS donations are calculated and added. The money is intended for cancer patients and their families, as well as for raising awareness about the importance of prevention. According to Kovacova, the 30th-anniversary event made history with a record-breaking figure and confirmed the strength of solidarity. "When we brought Daffodil Day to Slovakia 30 years ago, we believed that it could inspire a sense of solidarity and support for patients, become a symbol of hope, and help break the taboo surrounding the cancer issue. Today, we know that it's succeeded. It's become a tradition and a powerful symbol of solidarity. It enables us not only to support patients and their families, but also to draw attention to the importance of prevention," said Kovacova. The League against Cancer will use the funds raised to continue free projects designed to help cancer patients and their families. These include, for example, cancer consulting, a network of specialists in cancer psychology, wigs for female patients, and support groups for patients, their relatives and the bereaved. The money will also go to one-off financial contributions, short-term accommodation (including accommodation for parents during a child's hospital stay or for cancer patients undergoing short-term treatment), family and respite stays, as well as programmes offered through Help Centres in Bratislava, Kosice and Martin. A total of 900,000 daffodils were distributed as a symbol of support for cancer patients during this year's Daffodil Day. The vast majority of the money obtained came in via cash donations collected by the 12,000 volunteers who went out onto the streets with money-boxes on Daffodil Day. People were able to make donations either in cash or digitally via a QR code to more than 4,300 collection boxes. ko/df/am