The quintessential Canadian fundraiser of the year is only weeks away. The annual Terry Fox Run is being held September 17 in Elmira, with a 2.5km, 5km and 10km route for participants to take part in. The run is, as always, open to all, to walk, jog, run or whatever else people wish.
For Elmira run organizer Kathy Bowman, the event is all about getting involved and supporting a good cause.
The route they’re following will be the same as last year’s, taking participants through part of the downtown area. Bowman says they’re keeping things the same based on people’s response to last year’s run, which was a success.
“We had extra people come out last year because they saw us going through town, which is really nice. So we have to say, ‘thanks for the construction work last year on New Jerusalem Road,’ because we ended up with a new amount of people,” said Bowman of the unexpected boost from changing the route due to construction. “That really helped.”
The run itself is really only part of the fun.
“After the run we have a free barbeque. We do penny raffles – we have a penny raffle table where you buy tickets and you can win some great prizes from local businesses. We have anything and everything on that table from summer sausages to vacuum cleaners, you name it,” says Bowman, adding that they had received tremendous support from local businesses.
About 50 people participated last year and raised just under $15,000, notes Bowman. This year she’s hoping for more, and she’s encouraging everyone to join in.
“No one can say they’ve never been touched by cancer because it’s everywhere unfortunately. When we go in to that cancer centre we see more and more people come in, and you can’t say you’ve never met someone that hasn’t been touched,” she said.
For Bowman, that is certainly true as she has seen many loved ones struggle with the illness, and too many fall. But, she says she has also seen incredible improvement in treatment options that decades of research – much of it funded through events like this – have yielded.
“We’re making a difference. Every single person who comes out, whether they bring a dollar, a $100, $20, $500, we are all making a difference.”
Registration starts at noon on September 17 with participants meeting at the Programmed Insurance Brokers on 49 Industrial Dr. The run itself starts at 1 p.m. and goes until about 4 p.m.
Held each year on the 17th, the Terry Fox Run has raised more than $750 million worldwide for cancer research since its first run in the 1980s.
