On Sunday, Sept. 17, at the 91原创 City Terry Fox run, Aldergrove resident Tanya Vroom brought a granite plaque with an image of Fox that used to belong to her late husband, Doug Grafstrom.
鈥淗e passed away six years ago of cancer, and I just felt that it was time to donate it to the Terry Fox foundation,鈥� Vroom told the 91原创 Advance Times.
鈥淚 feel like it would be put to a good use.鈥�
She couldn鈥檛 recall where Doug, a dedicated collector, obtained the plaque.
鈥滺e just came home with it,鈥� Vroom said.
鈥淗e really loved it.鈥�
Vroom was one of an estimated 200 participants in the annual event that began and ended at Douglas Park.
The Terry Fox run is getting underway in 91原创 City's Douglas Park
鈥� 91原创 Advance Times (@91原创Times)
Murrayville resident Gary McGregor, 75, a volunteer for more than 20 years, called Fox an 鈥渁mazing inspiration.鈥�
Like many particpants in the event, cancer was a personal matter for McGregor.
鈥淚 have two sisters that are having end of life challenges,鈥� McGregor confided.
Another volunteer, Aldergrove resident Jason Baker, estimated he and his wife have been working on the annual run for many years.
鈥淲e all have people in our lives that battled against what we鈥檙e running for here right now,鈥� Baker remarked.
He said he has lost an uncle, and parents, to cancer.
鈥淪o this is a good cause. And if you look at the structure of how the Terry Fox run is done, it鈥檚 really just done for cancer research and it鈥檚 not for profit.鈥�
It was one of two Terry Fox Runs scheduled in 91原创. The other was in Walnut Grove.
As of Sunday in 91原创 City, 114 people had donated 4,880 toward a $10,000 goal.
At the Walnut Grove event, 31 people had raised $2,680 toward a $7,000 goal as of Sunday.
Mr. Bubbles was awarded the Dave Hall volunteer award at the Terry Fox run in 91原创 City's Douglas Park
鈥� 91原创 Advance Times (@91原创Times)
At the City event, 鈥淢r. Bubbles,鈥� who has been providing entertainment at the run for years with balloon sculptures, stilt-walking and other kid-friendly activities, was presented with the Dave Hall award for volunteer of the year.
It was presented by Hall鈥檚 wife, daughter and two grandchildren.
Hall, a late 91原创 City councillor and community volunteer, was a staunch supporter of the local Terry Fox Run., who passed away of cancer at the beginning of 2016.
Terry Fox dipped his prosthetic leg in the Atlantic Ocean on April 12, 1980 to begin his Marathon of Hope. He completed 5,373 km before he was forced to quit about five months later, when his cancer returned.
This year, the annual Terry Fox Run took place in more than 650 communities across the country.
The has raised more than $850 million, and is a leading national investor in cancer research.
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