Donations needed to support Wheels of Hope

“Where flowers bloom, so does hope,” said Lady Bird Johnson, First Lady and wife of former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. It’s spring, and daffodils are starting to pop through the soil in Niagara-on-the-Lake gardens.

Cancer organizations around the world use the daffodil as a symbol of hope for all people affected by cancer, because not only do daffodils mark the return of spring, they also symbolize new life.

Up until a few years ago, Susan and Walter Weaver wore plastic daffodil pins on their jackets and canvassed their neighbourhood of Garrison Village for donations to the Wheels of Hope program. However, explained Susan, “with COVID things are really changing and door-to-door isn’t an option anymore. We are just hoping that people will donate online.”

Wheels of Hope is a branch of the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) where people with cancer can access rides to and from treatment.

According to the CCS website, “the emotional, financial and practical challenges of a cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming. Sometimes, simply planning travel to cancer treatment appointments can be a difficult task.”

“You would be amazed at people who don’t have transportation to medical appointments and treatment,” said Susan. “Their family is busy. They may have the money and the means but they just need transportation.”

Susan has been involved with raising funds for Wheels of Hope for many years, and during that time, she says, “we have lost many family members and friends, like everyone else, to this disease. It has touched all our lives.”

“We have just lost a close family friend to cancer this weekend,” she added.

One of the statistics the CCS shares is that almost half of Canadians are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.

Susan is a board member for the CCS and organizes canvassing. “The Golf for a Cure tournament has been cancelled for a number of years,” she said, “and during COVID, fundraising activities were curtailed. Now, to restart this, we need volunteers to come forward.”

“Driver volunteers are needed for Wheels of Hope,” she added. “Funds raised by CCS go towards covering the gas.”

The Shaw Festival makes a sizable donation from its town preview program. “It’s wonderful. And they have had a lot of people who have dealt with cancer. It’s a wonderful contribution they are making for such an important cause,” said Susan.

“When my husband retired,” she said, “he became a volunteer and was canvassing in our neighbourhood. He was so touched because there was this elderly woman who could hardly speak because of cancer, and she told him how much she appreciated this program because her family wasn’t around to help her.”

Donations to the Canadian Cancer Society’s Daffodil Campaign can be made online at the CCS website. Click on the “Get Involved” tab to find ways to volunteer.

“Funds go to cancer research as well and if you want your funds directed to Wheels of Hope, you can,” explained Susan. “We must continue this fight to cure cancer by doing research and helping those in our community dealing with it.”

While we may not see someone at our doors wearing a yellow daffodil pin, now is the time to help hope bloom with a donation today for people facing cancer