CSB - Nicola Coom: Daffodil Day

Cancer Society Chief Executive Nicola Coom joins Hamish McKay to chat the importance of Daffodil Day 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Great to have your company coming up to seven forty five,
fifty minutes away from eight. Well, a pop of yellow
catches your eye today, don't be surprised. It is the
wonderful daffit all day. Key was across the country getting
involved in fundraising efforts everywhere, kicking her into action now
in support of the Wonderful Cancer Society, and CEO Chief

(00:22):
Executive Nikola Coombe joins us. Now, good morning.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Nicola, Good morning homus. Thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
Great to have you here. Look, every day is a
busy and important day in your role, I'm sure, but
this is a special day, isn't it? Daffital Day?

Speaker 2 (00:35):
It is? It is. This is our version of Christmas.
It's our biggest, biggest single day on our calendar, so
incredibly important.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
It's just a day that when you say it, because
it's got such a sort of an association for me,
I'll speak personally. I just feel like it brings a
bit of color and brightness and light and hope.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
Absolutely, and the campaign itself is iconic. Many New Zealanders
have grown up with Deferital Day and this is the
thirty fourth Deaferitial Day campaign. But I think you can't
get away from the fact now in New Zealand that
one in three of us will have a cancer diagnosis
in our lifetime, and that means that we're all impacted

(01:18):
in some way, and if we haven't been, I think
we're all pretty aware that we're going to be.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
Yeah, absolutely, unfortunately, absolutely Okay, So how important is this
day in terms of the overall fundraising efforts for the
Cancer Society.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
It's hugely important to us. We are funded entirely through
the goodwill of community and corporate businesses and trusts throughout
New Zealand. We don't receive government funding. So this Defital
Day determines all the success or not of this Defital
Day determines the free services that we'll get to provide
the country next year. It accounts for approximately forty percent

(01:58):
of that annual income. So absolutely critical and would if
the say determines the services that we provide next year.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
Yeah okay. So what can we see happening around New
Zealand today with the street appeal? I mean, I guess
there's a fairst wag of people involved.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
Absolutely, Look, it's because there are so many people it's
truly quite hard to keep check of them all. But
Our estimates is there'll probably be anywhere between nine to
ten thousand people out on the streets across the country.
It is a street appeal itself is iconic. So you'll

(02:35):
see people on the street corner, you'll see them in
front of supermarkets and shopping centers and everywhere. But you'll
also see and hear, I'm sure of schools and workplaces
doing their thing and putting their spin on deffit all day.
Everybody found a way to get involved and anything goes today.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
We've got all the sort of things that we've you know,
the bake sales and things like that. But what's something
Have you got something? You know, something wacky that's happening
out there. We love a bit of wacky, Yeah we.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
Do, don't we. There's a couple of things I'm heading
off too shortly. We've got somebody who has got got
really long hair that goes down almost almost to her knees,
and she is she's cutting her heir off and has
raised money for that. We've got a young boy who
raises money for us every year and he's doing a skiathon.

(03:30):
But where I am heading in an hour or two
is to a duck race. So our good friends at
A and ZED, who are our corporate sponsor for this
of this campaign. They're holding a duck race on the
Avon River in christ Church and they do that every year.
So I'm heading down to that shortly.

Speaker 1 (03:49):
Oh that sounds absolutely magnificent. You have a great day, Nicolacoon,
the Cancer Society chief executive is daffit all day. Please
get out there, give plenty and you know, be part
of this vibrant day which is for such a wonderful cause.
And as Nicholas said, one and three of us will
be effected. And that's just not that's not guesswork. That

(04:09):
is a fact. And together with the A and Z,
we're helping make every daffodil count. Text the word support
to two zero six to make an instant three dollars
donation to the Kansas Society, and listen to the A
and Z donation station. This is Cool live on iHeartRadio
from nine today. You're gonna hear Kaylee Bell, Corella park Road,

(04:34):
Cassie Edison, Joel from La B and John too Good
as well, and the likes of our wonderful A Man's
this guy on inspiration, Die Hendward, Jeremy Wells will be there,
Tony Street, Ryan Bridge, Stacey Morrison, Hillary Barry, leehar John
O and Van Fletcherworn Hailey, plenty more. That's the a

(04:54):
n Z Donation Station Live on iHeart Radio