Terry Fox Run Largest Student Event in Canadian History

Canadian hero Terry Fox had a dream that unified the country. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Terry’s Marathon of Hope, the Board of Directors of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association unanimously endorsed the participation of every member board and
every school in The Terry Fox National School Run Day.
“This is the largest single-day student event in Canadian history and
shows the world just how caring and compassionate our students truly are,”
said OPSBA president Rick Johnson. “Their participation gives hope to the many
children and adults who are courageously fighting cancer.”
The Terry Fox Foundation is asking every student in every Canadian
school to participate on Friday, September 16 in the Terry Fox National School Run
Day, an event that will be held simultaneously at schools from coast to coast.
OPSBA worked with the Canadian School Boards Association to encourage every
student and every school in Canada to participate in the event. In Ontario,
more than 4,000 schools are participating which is a 100% increase from last
year.
In September 2004, Trustee Beryl Ford helped organize the Peel
Terry Fox Pilot Event that involved all students and staff in Peel and raised over
$1.1 million. This community event included the Peel District School Board and
the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and involved volunteers from
the police, fire department and other agencies. It was the precursor to this
year’s National School Run Day. Trustee Beryl Ford described the event as “one
of the most gratifying moments I have experienced in all my years as a school
board trustee.”