Despite the cold and foggy day weather, over 1,000 student participants and volunteers gathered at Convocation Mall on Friday, October 2 to run and walk in memory of Terry Fox, at the 2015 Terry’s CAUSE on Campus event, one of the largest yet at SFU.
The pre-event ceremony began with SFU President Andrew Petter speaking to the crowd and garnering enthusiasm from attendees. Special guests included Darrell Fox, Terry Fox’s younger brother, and Zoya Jiwa, recipient of 2015 Terry Fox Gold Medal award.
Following a short warm-up routine led by SFU fitness instructors and cheerleaders, the walk/run began. The finish line on this route was at the Terry Fox field and the post-event gathering took place at the South Terrace (Lorne Davies Complex).
In 1980, Terrance Stanley “Terry” Fox embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Although the spread of his cancer eventually forced him to end his quest after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres, and ultimately cost him his life, his efforts resulted in a lasting, worldwide legacy. Terry was a kinesiology student at SFU when he was diagnosed with cancer in 1977, making his cause close to the hearts of the SFU community.
The annual Terry Fox Run, first held in 1981, has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world’s largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research; over $600 million has been raised in his name.
In 2012, SFU and the Terry Fox Foundation created Terry’s CAUSE (College and University Student Engagement) on Campus which challenges Terry’s peers — university students — to carry on his legacy at campuses across Canada.
SFU also presents the Terry Fox Gold Medal Award each year to a student who demonstrates courage in the face of adversity. The 2015 Gold Medal Award recipient is sociology student and social entrepreneur Zoya Jiwa.
Walks and runs took place on all three SFU campuses — with some very special guests. Terry’s niece Jessie Alder launched the Vancouver event, and Terry’s sister Judith Fox was the special guest in Surrey.
Asked how the Terry Fox Run is significant to SFU, first year student and participant Sana Santosh said, “[Terry] was a student and patron of SFU. His courage, determination, and dedication to make a difference in the world was inspiring to so many people and that counts for a lot.”
President Petter, in a blog post, encouraged students to honour Terry’s memory: “I urge everyone at SFU to participate in Terry’s CAUSE on Campus. Whether you walk, run, volunteer or fundraise, it’s for a great cause and it’s lots of fun.”
