It’ll be a busy Sunday at Muskoka’s parks, as six Terry Fox Runs raise money for cancer research.
The fundraisers run in-person on Sept. 17 in:
Gravenhurst’s run remains virtual.
Sharon Stahls, organizer of the Huntsville run, says this year’s campaign #DearTerry is a nod to the 65,000 letters Terry Fox came home to after ending his Marathon of Hope in 1980, many of them starting with “Dear Terry.”
“They contained messages of love and encouragement, [and] sometimes people would share personal experiences and stories about family members that might have had cancer,” says Stahls. “But every letter inspired Terry and the Fox family so that they had those to draw upon during really difficult days.”
According to Stahls, some of those letters were simply addressed to “Terry, British Columbia,” but still made their way to Fox’s home. She says you can view those letters or submit your own at the Terry Fox Foundation’s website.
Stahls says this year the foundation is also sending red shirts to people who have or had cancer. People can request those shirts online or over the phone.
“It’s really good to put a face to cancer,” says Stahls. “On Sunday morning when you’re at the arena, you look out into the crowd and you see all these red shirts. People are going to say ‘holy moly, look at all these people with cancer and people in remission.’ This is where your money is going.”
Meanwhile, Stahls says most school runs will take place on Sept. 22, with some on a different day. You can find your local school run here.
“I just want to give a big shout-out to the schools,” says Stahls. “It’s through their teaching and sharing of Terry’s story, and having these events in their schools, that lets the next generation learn about Terry and what an inspiration he was.”
She notes that while Huntsville’s Eva Johnston is no longer the face of school runs nationwide, the 10-year-old has been “instrumental” in the Huntsville fundraiser, and her school Spruce Glen will hold a barbeque on Sept. 20 to raise money for the cause.
“Come with lots of enthusiasm and energy. Bring a water bottle and a positive attitude,” says Stahls. “And remember that when you are raising funds for cancer, you’re also raising hope for cancer patients.”
