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Quesnel’s Terry Fox Run legacy

The city has been holding an annual fundraising run since the 80s
8504269_web1_Strathnaver-supporters

There are a couple of scrapbooks that chronicle Quesnel’s participation in the Terry Fox Run and they make for fascinating reading.

It would seem the first mention in the paper of the Terry Fox Run was in 1982, just two years after Terry’s untimely death from re-occuring cancer.

Through the years, Quesnel has been a big supporter of this meaningful and important fundraising event, although in the last few years numbers and community participation have waned somewhat.

Still, at the heart of the event, there are dedicated participants carrying on a very auspicious legacy.

Over the years, the Terry Fox Run has been carried out under several slogans, such as “On the Run”; “Each step takes us closer to his dream”; and of course “Terry’s Dream” just to mention a few.

Pictures of community members, some long gone, some still active, are featured along with various aspects of the annual event. Schools won plaques for the most students participating in the Terry Rox Run. Business and industry also received awards for having corporate teams of participants, and little children were cited for raising money on the run.

There is one very moving letter was from Ariel McCordic, eight years old, who told the story of her sister Danielle, who lost her battle with cancer at the age of five in 1999. Ariel said this was why she was raising money for the Terry Fox Run, so that kids with cancer can get treated properly and not die. A very moving letter from a sad sister.

Mavis Goodman, a matriarch in the community, chaired the organizing committee for several years and faithfully wrote an extensive report on the various years she was in charge. There’s even a spreadsheet of costs for a couple of years.

Quesnel has a wonderful legacy of supporting the Terry Fox Run and this year, on Sept.17, beginning in LeBourdais Park at the Friendship stage at 10 a.m., the route is Quesnel’s Riverfront trail counterclockwise for 5.5 km or less, depending on your abilities. Dogs, wheelchairs, strollers and rollerskates are welcome.

At the start in the park, Terry Fox Run T-shirts will be available for sale and coffee, oranges and cookies will be available at the beginning and finish of the run.