After 40 years of packing flowers, volunteers with the Carbon/Tamaqua Chapter of the American Cancer Society will no longer be holding their Daffodil Days springtime fundraiser.

The daffodil is the first flower of spring and has been the symbol of hope for cancer patients for the past 40 years.Robert Stevenson, who has chaired the local Daffodil Days committee for 8 years, stated that the national American Cancer Society has decided to pull the program to focus on more cost effective activities."It is difficult to see the daffodil program to go away," said Stevenson, who stressed the local chapter's long success in the program.In addition to the support of over 75 pre-sale coordinators, Stevenson added that on average, the local chapter sells over 24,000 daffodils and 500 bears every year.The late Robert C. Sim, a former national vice president of the American Cancer Society, spearheaded the program. In the program's first years, the flowers were delivered to his house, and the whole family was called in to help seperate and deliver them. His daughter Andrea Young is now the manager of the Hope Lodge of Central Pennsylvania. "My father was always interested in how to better serve patients," said Young. "He would be honored to see Daffodils Days at 40."Stevenson added that volunteers will be selling daffodils from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at a number of businesses in our area today and Saturday. Some of which are Boyers Market in Tamaqua, Redner's Warehouse Market in Nesquehoning, Jim Thorpe Market, Mallard Market in Lehighton and Country Harvest in Palmerton.Stevenson stated his appreciation to all the volunteers, community members, businesses, organizations and other supporters that kept the program going strong for all these years."Its been a long, but worthwhile ride to support the ACS," said Stevenson.