By Juanita Mercer
The Telegram
Several communities in the Southwest Arm area of the province came together this week to support Daffodil Place in St. John’s.
The communities turned their annual Santa Claus parade into a fundraiser for the facility, which supports cancer patients travelling to St. John’s for treatments.
The Sou’West Arm Recreation Committee organizes the annual Festival of Lights Santa Claus Parade — an evening event featuring floats adorned with bright lights.
The committee also uses the parade to shine a light on a different cause each year.
This year, the committee raised funds for Daffodil Place. Several individuals in the Southwest Arm area have benefitted from the services at Daffodil Place in recent years, and committee member Scott Meadus says this fundraiser is one way for them to give back.
Dubbed “Dollars for Daffodil,” residents were encouraged to bring a dollar or more to donate as the parade passed by. The original goal was to raise $500, but that was quickly exceeded — the event raised $1,500.
It’s an especially generous contribution considering each outport in the area has only a few hundred residents, and the total population for all of the communities combined is about 1,000 people.
Committee member Scott Meadus delivered the cheque to Daffodil Place. He says this year’s fundraiser is particularly special for him because his father recently stayed at Daffodil Place while he was receiving cancer treatments.
“So we saw first-hand the great things that the volunteers at Daffodil Place do for people who have to go to the city to get treatments,” Meadus said. “They will bring you to the hospital, and provide hot meals, and not everyone realizes how much they do. We are happy that our donation will be able to help with these services in some way.”
Daffodil Place is a 24-room facility operated by the Canadian Cancer Society. It provides affordable accommodations for people with cancer who must travel to St John’s for care. Accommodations also include a variety of supports, such as meals, transportation, emotional support and entertainment.
In Southwest Arm, the Festival of Lights parade is now in its fifth year and is growing more popular.
Meadus says he hopes the event will continue to grow in popularity, and that they will be able to raise even more funds for other organizations in the future.
