The Martha's Vineyard Cancer Support Group was incorporated in 1996. Last year the group gave away about $37,000 to Islanders in need — climbing to around $40,000 this year.

Thanks to the late Dorothy Bangs for her decades of enthusiasm, organization and efforts toward raising money through selling bunches of daffodils to help ease the pain of a cancer diagnosis.

The Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Support Group is hosting its annual daffodil fundraiser on March 17 to help financially support those dealing with cancer on the Island.

From charter members to recently diagnosed patients to caregivers, over 50 people attended the annual Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Support Group celebration of survival and support on Sunday night. The potluck dinner was held at the Portuguese-American Club in Oak Bluffs.

When Samantha Cassidy, age nine, was diagnosed with B-stem lymphoma, her parents, Mike Cassidy and Debra Grant, turned to the Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Support Group, a quiet organization unknown to many Islanders.

AnneMarie Donahue was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1988; she became one of the original members of the cancer support group.

The Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Support Group’s annual spring gala celebration, An Evening under the Stars, welcomes guests on Thursday, May 20 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Mediterranean on Beach Road in Oak Bluffs.

With beverages, hot and cold hors d’oeuvre, and music by the Mike Benjamin band, the gala is “casual elegance,” and the price of admission includes door prizes and gift bags.