Community gathers together
for 16th annual Liz’s Day
When a young woman named Elizabeth McFarland died of breast cancer, a group of women gathered together for a small meeting and Liz’s Day was born.
On Sept. 27, the 16th annual Liz’s Day took place at the Floral Park Recreation Center. The event featured a used book sale, a Chinese style auction raffle, foods, drinks and music. All of the money raised from the event went to breast cancer research.
“It’s a fun way to donate to help find a cure for breast cancer,” said Nancy Daly, one of the founders of the event.
The first Liz’s Day happened 16 years ago and 50 people volunteered to raise $36,000 for breast cancer research. The event has gone on to raise over a million dollars in total over the years, according Daly.
Not much has changed since the first Liz’s Day over a decade ago, according to Daly. The idea was to keep it the event very simple and the simplicity of the event worked to tremendous success.
Businesses on Tulip Ave. and throughout Floral Park helped in the effort by becoming a donor to Liz’s Day and hanging up a “Proud Donor” sign to raise awareness for the day and breast cancer. In addition, 230 baskets were made from the auctions and almost all of the volunteers for the event were from the village.
“It’s a group effort from the town of Floral Park,” explained Daly.
Occurring at the end of September, Liz’s Day also serves as a kick-off to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which begins in October. The Adelphi New York Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline and Support Program was there to support the cause and hand out brochures and information about the disease.
This aspect of the event goes a long with Daly’s goal of having the event be a fun day for the community to raise money for a great cause, but also a day to make people aware of women’s health.
The cause is also one that doesn’t lose any momentum from the town, according to Daly. Eighty percent of the volunteers started with Daly 16 years ago and there is no quit in the rest of Floral Park to find a cure for the disease.
“Each year, it has grown bigger and bigger,” said Daly. “This day would not be what it is without the most wonderful people.”
For anyone who missed the event or for those still eager to donate to the cause, it is not to late. For information or help with the disease, the Adelphi New York Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline and Support Program can be reached at 800-877-8077 and donations can be made at http://breast-cancer.adelphi.edu/donate/.
