This August marks the 25th time Veronica Richmond will give hope for a cancer free future by turning the streets yellow in support of our Daffodil Day Appeal.
Veronica is from Nambour and is affectionately known as the ‘Daffodil Day Queen of the Sunshine Coast’. She has helped fundraise for Cancer Council Queensland since 1994.
Daffodil Day Appeal volunteer Veronica Richmond
Each year Veronica coordinates numerous Daffodil Day sites, helping organise the storage and delivery of all the fresh daffodils, plus all the many volunteers needed.
We chatted to Veronica to thank her for her service and ask what volunteering means to her.
“I first started volunteering through a friend, and it was the amazing people that brought me back year after year,” she said.
“Every year I would wear a blue hat with daffodils on it and go around the town delivering hundreds of bunches of daffodils, and I just became known as the ‘Daffodil Lady’.
“Everyone in town knew it was Daffodil Day time when they saw me around in my hat!
“Volunteering for me and my family has always been about helping the community and the other families who are struggling with cancer.”
Veronica has also had personal experiences with cancer, and sadly lost her husband to bladder cancer in 2017.
“I love volunteering for Daffodil Day because it’s all about raising funds to get closer to a cure, and I’ve been lucky enough to see the amazing progress over the years in cancer treatments,” she said.
“Daffodil Day puts the fantastic work of Cancer Council Queensland on show and it’s a colourful way to recognise and contribute to cancer research.”
Veronica will hang up her crown this year, letting other volunteers take up the reign.
“I’m getting on now so plan to pass on the volunteering baton,” she said.
“I would like to thank everyone at Cancer Council Queensland, as well as locals such as Gary Cricks, and businesses such as PFD and Air-Rite who have made consistent contributions over the years.”
Cancer Council Queensland sincerely thanks Veronica for her incredible efforts and dedication to the cause and wishes her well in the future. We also thank all those who have helped Veronica in leaving such an incredible legacy!
We need you for the 2019 Daffodil Day Appeal
There are several volunteer roles needed to make the Daffodil Day Appeal a success on Friday 23 August. We need people to fundraise, deliver daffodils, coordinate volunteers across sites and more.
Whether you can volunteer for three hours or all day, there’s a shift to suit you. With hundreds of sites across the country, there’s sure to be one near you.
Will you join Veronica and become a Daffodil Day Appeal volunteer? Register here.