Students walked or ran on 5 Oct 2016 to honour Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope. Photo: Russell Ijaya
On 5 October 2016, MGCI’s students walked or ran to honour the legacy of Terry Fox. Terry Fox was a Canadian hero who ran over 5373 km from Newfoundland to Thunder Bay, to raise awareness and money for cancer research—the disease which eventually took his life. Fox was a victim of osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer), and had to have his right leg amputated prior to his run.
MGCI’s Terry Fox Run commenced at 9:45 am. Grades were called down one-by-one to the gym to watch a short video about Terry Fox and his 1980 Marathon of Hope. Afterwards, students left the cafeteria and proceeded to walk the pre-planned, 3 km route. Participants headed north on Don Mills Rd and down to ET Seton Park. They then crossed the Overlea Bridge and looped back to the school via Thorncliffe Drive. Student volunteers and teachers were present along the course to guide students along the route. Abdullah Maher, a grade 11 student said, “It was a great act of respect for a Canadian hero. I’m happy that our school does it in a unique way by walking through the local community, instead of simply around the field.”
One of the student volunteers who helped guide students during the run. Photo: Russell Ijaya
MGCI set a fundraising goal of $1 500, and the total amount of donations collected is still being calculated. Donations were collected by teachers through a “Toonie for Terry” campaign for two weeks leading up to the run. SAC also participated in the event by collecting donations from students at lunch. They also organized a “Red and White” day to encourage students to wear Canadian colours to show in support of Terry Fox’s vision. In addition, SAC has planned a fundraising event that will occur at lunch on 13 October. President, Zaid Baig, revealed that the event is a teacher competition in which all proceeds raised will be donated directly to the Terry Fox Foundation.
Originally scheduled for 28 September, the run was postponed a week due to poor weather. This year was Canada’s 36th Terry Fox Run, and Mr. Fox’s 14th year organizing it at Garneau. He plans to improve on this year’s event by giving it a “fresh look for next year,” and “bringing more students and staff to the table to bring fresh ideas.”
