Kristine Young

This Valentine’s Day season, students and the community in Brookings will have a chance to support a cause, while at the same time making a small impact on someone’s life with a gift of flowers or a stuffed bear.

Starting on Feb. 22, Golden Key International Honor Society at SDSU will be hosting Daffodil Days, an effort of the American Cancer Society to raise funds for cancer research.

Daffodil Days is a nation-wide program that allows individuals to make a donation for cancer research, and on March 15, the ACS will distribute daffodils to people impacted by cancer. According to the ACS Web site, Daffodil Days has been going on for more than 35 years.

Molly Sendrich, the Brookings County ACS community relations representative, said ACS holds Daffodil Days in the winter months because it is the time of year when people are the most dreary and need a pick-me-up.

“The daffodils have closed stems when they are delivered, so when we put them in water, the patient gets to watch them open, and it’s a sign of hope,” said Sendrich.

Kara Bosse, a junior animal science major and the Daffodil Days chairperson for SDSU, said she is working with Golden Key to make Daffodil Days a success at SDSU.

She said Golden Key usually participates in Relay For Life but wanted to try something different this year. Bosse said the program has been done at SDSU before but was never strongly advertised.

Bear Hugs for Kids is also a part of this year’s Daffodil Days. Birthday R. Hope, a Boyds Bear, was designed specifically for Daffodil Days. Each bear will be sent to a child at the Sioux Falls Children’s Hospital.

“Bear Hugs for Kids is our new way to relate to our constituents since the American Cancer Society is now the official sponsor of birthdays,” said Sendrich.

Bosse said anyone can purchase daffodils or a bear. The gift can be sent to a particular person or can be sent anonymously to anyone.

There are a variety of packages, with prices ranging from $10 to $75. Packages include the Daffodil bunch that consists of 10 daffodils for $10. A bunch and a vase or mini daffodils and a daffodil plant are $15. The Gift of Hope bouquet, Bear and a bunch, or a bear sent to a child at the Sioux Falls Children’s Hospital are $25. For $75, people can purchase the Sunshine Bouquet, which includes six bundles of daffodils.

Bosse encourages people in the residence halls to participate in Daffodil Days because the Office of Residential Life is offering a pizza party to the hall that buys the most Bear Hugs for Kids. She said the goal for this year’s Daffodil Days is to raise $500, though she said this may be difficult with the state of the economy.

“By sending bunches of daffodils to friends, family members and people touched by cancer, you are sharing a message of hope and raising funds and awareness to help defeat cancer,” according to the ACS Web site.

According to the American Cancer Society, in the last 14 years, Daffodil Days has raised more than $240 million to support research to eliminate cancer as a life-threatening disease.