Last year was the first Daffodil Dash in Osoyoos and the event drew 64 participants. This year they hope for 100. (File photo)
For the second year in a row, Osoyoos is holding a Daffodil Dash to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society.
The 2016 run leaves from Gyro Park at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 24 and there are different running lengths for every age and ability.
The Daffodil Dash is just one activity in the Canadian Cancer Society’s April Daffodil Month, which kicked off Friday with the selling of cut daffodils at several Osoyoos locations – AG Foods, Buy-Low Foods and Osoyoos Credit Union.
The Osoyoos Royalty helped with this campaign on Friday and Saturday.
Lori Stevenson, team lead for revenue development with the Cancer Society, noted that plastic daffodil pins are also on sale throughout April.
“We want everyone to be wearing the yellow lapel pin in support of someone that they know or love who has had or does have cancer,” Stevenson said. “We want … to show support for people who have fought this awful disease.”
The pins are available in about a dozen high-traffic locations around town such as the liquor store and coffee shops, Stevenson said.
The Daffodil Dash this year will include a barbecue, which takes place after the run from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
In addition to the one kilometre or 5 km run or walk options for the dash, a new 100-metre dash has been added this year for children aged 8 and under.
“We’re also doing a costume contest, so we’re trying to encourage the teams to come out in theme and in costume,” said Stevenson. “We’re going to have a prize for the best team costume, cutest kids’ costume and that type of thing.”
Participants in the run are asked to commit to raising at least $150 for the fight against cancer. Those who are successful in that mission will receive a “swag bag” of local goodies and a pair of daffodil knee socks.
For every $150 that participants raise, they will receive one entry into a draw for a FitBit Charge HR, a wrist-worn activity tracker.
Stevenson said many people use a combination of self-pledging the funds and getting others to sponsor their run.
“It’s super easy to ask your friends, your family, your colleagues and co-workers,” she said. “If you ask five people if they’ll sponsor you $20 for a good cause to run, it’s pretty easy to do.”
Some teams, she said, will do fundraising activities such as garage sales, bake sales and carwashes to raise pledge funds.
People can preregister online for the run at www.cancer.ca/daffodildash/Osoyoos or they can register at the event starting about an hour ahead of the 10 a.m. start time.
Last year the Daffodil Dash replaced the previous Relay for Life in smaller communities because it is easier to organize, requires less volunteer time and has lower overhead.
“The 12-hour-long Relay for Live was a great event, but it was a lot of work for volunteers,” said Stevenson. “This is a little bit easier, especially in smaller communities and for families. That’s what we really want to focus on, to get families out, which was hard to do for the overnight relay.”
Last year, the Osoyoos run had fewer participants than planned, but it managed to raise significantly more revenue than expected, Stevenson said.
The target for Osoyoos last year was $5,000, but the event actually pulled in more than $9,000, she said.
There was also concern at first about slow registration, but the majority of participants registered in the final week before the event, she added. In total, 64 participants took part last year.
“We’re hoping this year to be bigger and better,” said Stevenson. “We’re hoping for 100 participants.”
The target this year is to raise $10,000, she said.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
