The 39th annual Wingham Terry Fox Run was a big success this past Sunday.
Event Co-organizer Scott Miller says the community came together in a big way on September 20, setting a new total fundraising record of $42,000. Miller says there was a big push to raise money through online pledges this year, and Wingham did an incredible job.
"Online we raised about $28,000 and there was this huge goal this year for the Terry Fox Foundation of $28,900. We are just a few hundred dollars away from that. I never thought we'd reach that goal, I thought it was sort of an aspirational goal but we're so close and it's been amazing to watch that total go up," Miller enthused.
There were 255 runners in Wingham this year, with all the proceeds going to the Terry Fox Foundation and Canadian Cancer Society. It marked the first time the Wingham run raised over $40,000. Wingham consistently places in the top 10 in Canada for fundraising per capita, something Miller says is a testament to the amazing community and the surrounding area.
The run this year included many young people, which Miller said is encouraging, because they're keeping Terry's message of the Marathon of Hope alive. That included an eager young local boy named Oliver.
"He lives in Wingham and he's a huge Terry Fox fan. His mom got in touch with me, he wanted a Terry Fox lawn sign. So he came out to the run, he raised a bunch of money and we got him a Terry Fox poster to take home and put on his wall. That's the next generation," Miller shared proudly.
Miller, who is himself a cancer survivor, says it is vitally important to keep Terry's legacy of the Marathon of Hope at the forefront of people's minds. He says it remains a symbol of hope for so many, including people who have lost someone to the disease or who have supported someone going through cancer.
"In my estimation, he's the greatest Canadian, and we need to keep what Terry started going. Sometimes it feels like pennies in an ocean, pennies into a big well, but we are doing our part in Wingham, no question we are doing our best," added Miller.
