Terry Fox Run at WEJ

terryfox_06Terry Fox is an important person in Canadian history. His Marathon of Hope has raised over $600 million for Cancer Research. This year, the staff and students of W. Erskine Johnston P.S. will participate in a Terry Fox Run on Thursday, September 26th from 3 pm – 3:30 pm. The students will be running on a circuit around the school grounds. The goal is to raise $1500 to contribute to the Terry Fox Foundation. A donation of a loonie or toonie (or more) would be appreciated to help us achieve this goal. The students can bring in their donations starting Thur., Sept. 20th through Thur., Sept. 26th (the day of the run). We are looking forward to participating in this Canada-wide activity and raising some money to help find a cure for cancer.

We are very proud to be associated with the Terry Fox Foundation and believe that our involvement will fit in nicely with our focus on character education. Terry Fox certainly modeled the following values: heroism, strength, perseverance, courage, determination, integrity and most of all hope.

Here are some interesting facts about the Terry Fox Run:

  • The world’s largest Terry Fox Run is held in Cuba, which welcomes more Canadians than any other foreign tourists.  More than 1 million take part in the Cuban Run.
  • There are more that 45 runs in other countries around the world including China, India and Vietnam.
  • Every Terry Fox Run is organized and run entirely by volunteers, who have no budget.
  • The Terry Fox Run is the longest-running fun run in Canada.
  • The run doesn’t accept corporate sponsorship in keeping with Fox’s grassroots approach to the Marathon of Hope.
  • More than 3 million elementary pupils and high school students take part in more than 9,000 school Terry Fox runs.
  • There is no entry fee to join in the run, just a donation request.
  • The run funds all types of cancer research including lung, brain, breast, ovarian and childhood cancers.
  • A Terry Fox and Marathon of Hope exhibit is planned for the Canadian Museum of History in 2015, the 35th anniversary of Fox’s Marathon of Hope.
  • The Terry Fox Run’s lung cancer study has led to an app that can detect lung cancer at its earliest stage.
  • 33 – Age of the Terry Fox Run
  • $600 million raised worldwide for cancer research
  • 1980 – the year Terry Fox embarked on his Marathon of Hope
  • 5,373 kilometres – how far Terry ran before he was forced to stop.

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