Stephen Vance, Staff
More than $10,000 was raised by roughly 90 participants at this year’s Terry Fox Run, held on Sunday, September 18, an increase over recent years.
“We had roughly 90 participants and raised over $10,000, up from last year which was only around $9,000, with 70 participants. The funds are still being collected and tallied online. Pretty great for such a small town I think!” explained event coordinator Haley Fawcett.
Fawcett, who is just 19 and a student at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, has been the coordinator for Meaford’s Terry Fox Run for the past three years. She told The Independent that she and her team of volunteers worked hard to make the event more appealing to families this year, with the addition of some new activities at the Rotary Harbour Pavilion where the run begins and ends.
“This year we tried to do more to attract families, so we have the Knights of Meaford hockey team here playing hockey with the kids, we have a popcorn machine, apples from Barbetta Orchards, and we’ve also got a television with the Terry Fox story playing, and we’ve got some new games for the kids where they can win prizes,” Fawcett told The Independent.
Fawcett said Sunday morning that the additional activities appeared to have worked, as she had noticed many more families participating than in previous years.
Participating once again this year were members of Meaford’s Fire Department – who did the run in full firefighter’s gear (see photo).
The Terry Fox Foundation has raised more than half a billion dollars over its 35 year history, the bulk of which comes from the more than 9,000 Terry Fox runs that are held each year across Canada and around the world.
The Terry Fox Foundation is independent from any other cancer fundraising group. The organization does not accept any corporate sponsorship, making it truly independent.
