Skip to content

Daisies cut and ready for 6th annual Kootenay Boundary cancer care fundraiser

Trail No Frills launching memorial fundraising campaign Thursday, March 9
31877132_web1_copy_230307-TDT-Daisy-campaign-pic_1
Kurtis’ No Frills staff is ready to launch the sixth annual daisy campaign on Thursday (March 9), a fundraiser that benefits patients receiving cancer care at the hospital in Trail. L-R: Tyrone Siebert and store owner Kurtis MacGillivray. Photo: Submitted

Gathering daisies for the “Give You a Daisy” memorial fundraiser signals that spring is near, bringing a sense of hope that comes with sunnier days.

This is the sixth year the benefit for cancer care at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH) will launch March 9 and run for two weeks at Kurtis’ No Frills in Trail.

How it works, is paper daisies are available for purchase at checkout. Daisy buyers are then invited to write their name and phone number on the back, and drop it into a raffle box for chances to win prizes donated by Greater Trail businesses and individuals. New this year is a silent auction which will run in tandem with the daisy campaign.

The fundraiser, in memory of Kim and Lee Page, has brought in close to $60,000 to date; $16,500+ has been raised for the KBRH palliative care department; and almost $43,000 has been raised for the KBRH oncology department. This year, donations will go to KBRH oncology care

“For Lee, it was all about paying ‘Kind for Kind,’” store owner Kurtis MacGillivray reflects. “When I first came to Trail, Lee took me under his wing … he really showed me what the town is about, how caring the community is, and what we could do for the community.”

Paper flowers — $5 each or five for $20 — will be sold each day from March 9 to March 23 at Kurtis’ No Frills tills, and at the KBRH Health Foundation office, or at: kbrhhealthfoundation.ca. Volunteers will also be selling paper daisies at the store entrance from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 9 to March 11, and March 16 to March 18.

“The greatest part of the campaign truly shows what Lee always said,” MacGillivray shares. “And that is, ‘One small act of kindness multiplied by many can change the world.’”

Besides holding the memorial fundraiser, MacGillivray is also hosting a community barbeque on March 19.

The barbeque will be held at the store with hamburgers, hotdogs, pop, and chips available. All proceeds will be donated to the KBRH oncology department.

“The KBRH Health Foundation is honored to partner with Kurtis’ No Frills for the 6th Annual Give a Daisy Memorial Campaign, honoring the legacy of Lee and Kim Page,” says Lisa Pasin, KBRH Health Foundation, executive director.

Funds raised this year will once again go towards improving care for oncology patients at KBRH, she adds.

“Through the generosity of our communities during these two weeks of daisy sales, we will continue to provide state of the art medical equipment and ensure a positive, supportive patient experience for those receiving treatment for cancer at KBRH.”

Lee Page started the daisy fundraiser at the No Frills store in March 2018 to honour his wife Kim Page, after she succumbed to cancer at the Trail hospital in January that year. Lee, a longtime store employee, picked March 9 because it was their wedding anniversary.

Lee himself was diagnosed with cancer soon after, and passed away in July 2020, a few short months after the third campaign.

Read more: Daisies help Trail man grant wife’s last wish

Read more: No Frills staff carries on legacy fundraiser for cancer care at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital



newsroom@trailtimes.ca

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter



Sheri Regnier

About the Author: Sheri Regnier

Read more