CANADA — After months of grey skies and a blanket of white throughout the winter, the colourful backdrop that usually comes with April is always a welcome sight. It brings the warmth of the sun and fragrant scents of new flowers, along with a fresh sense of awakening and optimism. That is why April is Cancer Awareness Month, also known as Daffodil Month.
The history of Daffodil Month first started in the 1950s in Toronto, Ont., with a fundraising tea, organized by volunteers with the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) and hosted by Lady Eaton. The event was held in the Eaton’s store, and volunteers decorated the tables with bright yellow daffodils. The florals created an atmosphere that seemed to radiate hope and faith to those affected by cancer. As the number of Daffodil Tea fundraisers grew, so did their popularity. In 1954, Lady Flora Eaton’s Daffodil Tea hosted 700 women, all of whom brought funds for the CCS.
The CCS saw the excitement growing each year for the Daffodil Teas, so volunteers created an official Daffodil Day to be celebrated annually on April 27. Some restaurants would donate part of their receipts to the CCS, and patrons would receive a daffodil as a token of appreciation. Seeing the yellow blossoms every year created excitement among the public, and many restaurant patrons would offer to pay for their daffodils. The CCS then realized they could raise funds by selling the flowers.
In 1957, volunteers with the CCS took to the streets, selling daffodils, marking it the first Daffodil Day fundraiser. That year, an anonymous donor paid to fly 5,000 flowers from British Columbia, where the growing season starts earlier. Sales of the daffodils raised more than $1,200 that year and became an annual event. Soon, Daffodil Day expanded into multiple days, and later, the month of April was dedicated to Cancer Awareness Month.
With the success of the fundraiser in Eastern Canada, Mrs. Helen Gray Thompson travelled to Calgary, Alta., in hopes of establishing the project out west in 1961. Fashion designer Christian Dior even designed daffodil-yellow smocks for the volunteers. With a total of 400 volunteers in Calgary, the first year’s event raised $6,000, which went to the University of Alberta Hospital’s physics department for the study of total body radiation.
In 2000, the daffodil was adopted as the CCS’s official logo. Each year in April, the Daffodil campaign continues to reach new heights. In 2025, a total of $21 million was raised through the month-long campaign.
To donate, visit cancer.ca. Donations of $150 or more in memory of someone can receive an enamel daffodil pin.
