For 15 years Colleen Shea has been volunteering to sell Amaryllis flowers to raise money for families affected by Huntington disease (HD). She is selling in the community that started the Amaryllis sales as a National campaign in 1985. For Shea, selling Amaryllis is one of the easiest ways to make her contribution to the cause that has directly affected generations of her family.
“I have regular purchasers every year now,” says Shea. “Every year they call me and ask ‘are you selling those flowers again?’ and every year I say yes. The flowers are beautiful and reliable, some bloom multiple years in a row!”
The Amaryllis is the signature flower of the Huntington Society of Canada. Volunteers sell bulb kits to raise vital funds for programs in research, services and education. Each year, around 20,000 amaryllis bulbs bloom coast to coast, across Canada, inspiring hope of a world free of HD. Since the sales began in 1985, HSC volunteers have raised well over five million dollars through Amaryllis sales.
All Amaryllis volunteers have their own reasons for selling and ways to sell the bulbs. “For me, it would be hard to stop selling now. It is such a good cause and these funds support meaningful services for HD families. But more than that, the flowers are a spot of brightness in the middle of our dreary Canadian Februaries,” says Shea. “They also make great Christmas gifts! I always keep a box so I can give the host their own kit at every holiday dinner I go to.”
If you would like to help HSC reach their goal of 20,000 amaryllis bulbs blooming coast to coast across Canada, please visit www.inspirehope.ca.