The Tri-Cities brought in more than $150,000 on Sunday, Sept. 17 in the name of Port Coquitlam hero Terry Fox.
According to the Terry Fox Foundation, the Hometown Run in PoCo — led by Dave Teixeira and his team — pulled in more than $140,000 from online contributors, as well as the hundreds of participants who showed up outside of the Hyde Creek Recreation Centre.
Team SETO was the biggest fundraiser, generating $12,275 to research cancer — the disease that claimed Fox in 1981, a year after he stopped his Marathon of Hope.
Anna Solnickova was PoCo's top individual fundraiser at $12,670.
@tricitynews Dear Terry: $130K. 🏃💛 #tricitynews #portcoquitlam #terryfox #terryfoxrun #terryfoxhometownrun #terryfoxfoundation ♬ Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson
Meanwhile, the 43rd annual Terry Fox Run around Mundy Park in Coquitlam reaped $10,455 for the charity from the 249 people in attendance and from donations, online pledges and merchandise, a spokesperson said.
Gayle’s Team - 2023 collected $1,925 while Mac's II Workday Warriors: Coquitlam Crew yielded $1,625.
And, for the virtual event in Port Moody, at least $1,360 came in for the non-profit group.
#DearTerry Message
Nearly 600 communities in Canada hosted a Terry Fox Run on Sunday with the #DearTerry message. In April, the foundation released a limited-edition #DearTerry T-shirt that was designed in collaboration with Vancouver actor Ryan Reynolds.
"I've been taking part in the Terry Fox Run since second grade and can’t think of a more enduring and lovely legacy for one person," Reynolds wrote when the garment came out in the spring; the T-shirt immediately sold out.
Also on Sunday, the foundation dropped a limited-edition #DearTerry poster that was created by Canadian artist Mutant 101; it costs $50 and will support cancer research.
And, next week, most Canadian schools are expected stage their own Terry Fox Runs.
To date, the Terry Fox Foundation has brought in more than $850 million to fund critical research projects in areas such as precision medicine — a new framework for cancer research and care that will accelerate the pace of improvement in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of all cancers.
"The response to this year’s #DearTerry campaign has been overwhelming with thousands of messages pouring in from supporters across Canada and beyond," Kirsten Fox, director of community development for the foundation's BC/Yukon branch, told the Tri-City News on Monday, Sept. 17.
"Media and public interest and excitement in this year’s Terry Fox Run has been wonderful and we have seen record numbers of participants and funds raised in many communities to date."
The next three Terry Fox Runs will take place on:
- Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024
- Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025
- Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026
To donate, you can visit the Terry Fox Foundation website.
