Daffodil Day 2021 raises a record €7.8 million despite pandemic challenges
Gordon Deegan
A record Daffodil Day, despite no on-street collections, has allowed the Irish Cancer Society (ICS) to ramp up its grant aid programme to families with children diagnosed with cancer.
Last year, the ICS had to cancel its on-street Daffodil Day due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, after Ryan Tubridy and RTE's Late Late Show stepped in to broadcast a two hour 'Daffodil Day' special featuring contributions from Westlife’s Shane Filan and Jedward, the ICS raised a record €7.8 million for Daffodil Day including €3 million on the night.
Commenting on the publication of the ICS 2021 annual report which outlines the funds raised, CEO, Averil Power said: “Daffodil Day 2021 was our biggest fundraiser to date, thanks in particular to the success of the Daffodil Day Late Late Show special."
The €7.8 million raised on Daffodil Day for 2021 compares to €1.7 million raised in 2020 and €4.59 million for this year.
The bumper Daffodil Day fundraising allowed the ICS to last year more than double the amount it pays out in grants to families with children diagnosed with cancer to €413,000.
Children's Fund
Over this year and last year, the ICS has paid out €947,000 in Children’s Funds, which is designed to help towards everyday costs that the families of children and adolescents going through cancer face, including travel and car parking, meals and accommodation, childcare and household bills.
Research by the ICS has shown that a diagnosis of childhood cancer can cause a financial hit of €15,000 for families impacted.
The ICS has ramped up its spend on its Children’s Fund after increasing its lump sum grants to families with a child diagnosed with cancer by 50 per cent to €3,000.
A spokeswoman for the ICS said today that to the end of October this year, the ICS has paid out €534,000 in Children's Fund grants and 196 applications were made in 2022.
The €534,000 to date in 2022 is more than three times the €153,500 paid out by the ICS in 2020 in Children’s Fund grants.
Along with the increase in the Children’s Grant, the ICS spokeswoman said that the application and payment process was simplified to ensure that families could quickly access the assistance when needed.
She said: “Now, instead of receiving instalments over three years, the amount is paid out in a single lump sum.”
Research
The ICS stated that the record fundraising has also allowed the ICS to invest in more cutting-edge research to €3.9 million in 2021, up 64 per cent on the previous year.
The organisation was also able to fund record amounts of counselling for child and adult cancer patients with 14,400 sessions funded in 2021, up 62 per cent on 2020.
And the bumper fundraising year also allowed the Society to provide free fertility treatment to children and young adults facing into cancer treatment, providing them the ability to have families in the future.
The annual report shows that the record Daffodil Day income resulted in the ICS’s overall income increasing from €21.94 million to €26.58 million.
The ICS’s surplus for the year more than doubled to €4.4 million for last year.
The ICS’s income for last year includes legacies totalling €2.3 million and that amount includes two separate bequests of €335,549 and €193,467. The ICS's cash funds increased from €16.7 million to €22.3 million.
The accounts show that ICS CEO, Averil Power last year was paid a salary of €131,349.
