Terry Fox (1958 – 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian and cancer research activist. In 1980, he began the Marathon of Hope, a cross-country run to raise money for cancer research. He hoped to raise one dollar from each of Canada's 24 million people. He began in St. John's, Newfoundland, in April and ran the equivalent of a full marathon every day. After 143 days and 5,373km/3,339 miles, he was forced to end his run outside Thunder Bay, ON, when the cancer spread to his lungs. His hopes of overcoming the disease and completing his marathon ended when he died nine months later.
The annual Terry Fox Run, first held in 1981, has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research. Almost $800 million has been raised in his name.
I raised $1,445. Thanks to Gord, Christine, Sky, Darlene T., Shawna, Kim, Baljeet, Joanne, Yvette, Jennifer, Margo, Nawaf, Marianne, Annie, Lance, Kevin and Rosemary, Sox, Craig and Wendy, Elaine and Bill, Franca, Malcolm and Mary, Darlene M., Sandra, Trish, Mary, Simone and Steve, Judy and Doug, Andy and Nikki, Eduardo, and Liz!
I dedicated my brisk walk to Gord.
You could buy a teeshirt for a $20 donation.
Starbucks donated coffee.
There were three walks/runs ... 3km, 5km and 10km. Everyone was welcome!
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| Dr. Ritesh Patel of See & Be Seen Eyecare matched up to 10% of our donations up to $5,000! |
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| Jagger, our Liberty Village run organizer, and Dr. Patel |
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Barb's team
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| Face painting |
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| Dawn and Aggie |
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| Me! |
Toronto Fire Department was there and kids were excited to sit in their truck.
Liberty Life Yoga did a yoga to get everyone warmed up.
Jagger welcomed everyone and thanked us for coming.
Then he introduced the top fundraisers (we got a book about Terry Fox).
Dr. Patesh said a few words ... it was his daughter's birthday so we sang Happy Birthday to her.
Katie, a cancer survivor, and Barb (of Barb's Team), who is going through chemo, said a few words.
Strive Live had a 30-member team. Rod Lugtenburg said a few words.
Time for the race! The kids sang O Canada. And then we were off!
Aggie was waiting for us, cheering us in!
Time to relax and have a bite to eat, which was donated by Meridian, Metro, William's Landing and Independent City Market.
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| This guy ran his first 5km ever today! |
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| See and Be Seen staff and family |
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| Me! |
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| Jagger, Dawn, Aggie and I |
It was a fun time for a good cause! I look forward to doing it and volunteering again next year!
2 comments:
Well done! Looks like a super event.
Hi Teena, Do you have any pictures of the runners coming in at the finishing line?
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