TELLURIDE – Celebrate the beginning of spring and the hope of a future without cancer with the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days, which will take place this year in Telluride on March 10-12 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in the Alpine Bank lobby located at 120 S. Pine St.

Flowers can also be purchased at Telluride Bottle Works, 129 W. San Juan and Leather and Lace Gifts in Norwood at 1630 Grand Avenue. The flowers come in bouquets of 10 stems and cost $11.00. These daffodils have become a cherished first sign of spring in Telluride and they will be well received again this year. In previous years they have sold out quickly, and reserving your flowers is highly recommended.

Reservations can be made several ways, but the easiest way is to send an email to daffydays@gmail.com with your name, number of bunches, phone number and mailing address. The flowers can be picked up and paid for at the Alpine Bank in Telluride on March 10 and 11 by noon. Reserved flowers not picked up by that time will be released for sale through Friday, March 12.

Bunches of unopened buds can be kept in the refrigerator for many days, up to a week, but once the stems are put in water in a warm house, the buds will open within hours. Buy several bunches, keep some in the refrigerator and stagger their opening to extend your enjoyment. Give them to friends, family and co-workers to brighten their day and support a worthy cause.

The American Cancer Society has been sponsoring Daffodil Days in Telluride for many years with the event being successfully chaired by Ginny Gordon for the last seven years. This year, the torch was passed to Sue Lincoln for the 2010 event.

This event could not happen without all the wonderful volunteers. Some of them include longtime volunteer coordinator Connie Colter, pre-sales are being coordinated by MJ Schillaci at the Town of Telluride offices, Nina Kothe at the San Miguel County Offices, Karen Ludwig and Sherry Schuler at the Telluride Schools, Kate Rideout in Mountain Village. Media and flower transport volunteers are Steve Tindall and Nicole Hagan. Norwood and the West End pre-sales and sales are being handled by Shera Nutall and Cathy Hoffman, where flowers can be purchased at Leather and Lace.

The American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days began in upstate New York in 1973. This year marks the program’s 37th anniversary. Daffodil Days supports the American Cancer Society’s lifesaving mission to eliminate cancer as a life-threatening disease. Money raised through Daffodil Days enables the Society to offer free programs and services that help people fight cancer with courage and optimism, including:

• Transportation assistance to and from treatments;

• Lodging for those having to travel long distances for treatment;

• Online educational classes for people with cancer and their loved ones;

• Free and confidential assistance in helping locate cancer clinical trials.

• And physical, emotional and financial assistance to ease the cancer experience;

In addition, Daffodil Days contributions provide the American Cancer Society with funding for groundbreaking cancer research, educating people about the importance of cancer prevention and early detection, and advocate for meaningful public health policies that benefit everyone.

Daffodil Days is about more than just beautiful flowers. It is everyone’s opportunity to share hope for a world free of cancer. By giving flowers to friends, family members and even cancer patients, donors are really giving hope by enabling the Society to offer programs and services to improve the lives of those facing cancer.

For more information contact Lincoln at suechesler@hotmail.com or 970/728-4264. Nutall can be reached at 327-0440 or svn@montrose.net and Hoffman at 327-4539 or leatherlacegifts@aol.com.