Terry Fox Fundraiser and Run
Terry Fox Fundraiser and Run
This September, teachers, staff, and students came together to participate in a Terry Fox fundraiser and run.
What is the Terry Fox Run?
Every year, thousands of people in Canada run anywhere between 3 and 15 kilometers in September. Why?
To begin with, the run honours the courageous efforts of a young Canadian hero – Terry Fox.
Terry Fox was a young man who lost one leg to cancer when he was still a teenager. With strength and determination, he started his Marathon of Hope – a run across the entire country to raise money for cancer. Now, every year Canada and other countries hold a Terry Fox run. So, people can join the fight against cancer.
VanWest raised over $300 for cancer research!
VanWest raised money with fun prizes for students. We raffled off free one-to-one lessons, the chance to throw a pie in a teacher’s face, a Whistler tour from Club ESL and a free Rockies tour from WestTrek! Congratulations to all our lucky winners and thanks to everyone who donated their time, money, and effort!
Sunday morning, the VanWest run team handed in our donations and challenged the 10km run at Stanley Park. Even though it was difficult, the sights were amazing! As Jun, a Japanese student, says, “Vancouver is very beautiful! When I was running, I could smell the sea. The sound of the waves was comfortable.”
What Students Thought about the Terry Fox fundraiser and run
“For my class, I had to write a paragraph about heroes,” says Dyego, a Brazilian student. “For this, I read about Terry Fox’s history and, well, this man did so many special things. His reasons were important not just for him but for everybody. I was inspired by his story.”
“I finished the run in an hour and one minute,” recalls Leo, a Taiwanese student. “When I run, I may feel pain, but I can feel like I am living because of the pain. Maybe I understand Terry Fox’s feelings when he was running. It reminds me this is a part of life. When we want to achieve some goals, before we get it, we may meet some difficulty, but after we achieve our goal, life is more wonderful. When I achieve something because I work hard, I feel really happy.”
“Before coming to this school, I didn’t know Terry,” says Jun. “I worked as a nurse in Japan, so if I can, I want to support studies to cure cancer. At the end of the run, I felt joint pain. But, Terry Fox ran 42 kilometers every day with a fake leg. He was a strong person. In Japanese culture donations and volunteering are not common – maybe because we’re shy. I hope that volunteer work becomes more common. I’m happy I joined this activity.”
