Eight years and more than $50,000.
Jennifer and Ray Gall do all the work as they take their three-year-olds Casey and Emma out during Parry Sound’s Terry Fox Run, hosted by Century 21 on Sunday.
Jack Tynan/North Star
PARRY SOUND – Robin Walton has been running in the Terry Fox Run, wherever she happens to be living, – B.C., Thunder Bay, Toronto – since she was seven years old.
She has good reason to.
“I had leukemia when I was six, and my dad died of cancer in 1999,”
Walton was joined by her mother Joan, they’re representing her husband Robert and the local Lions club, which contributes up to $1,000 to the run each year.
“The Lions have been very supportive,” Joan said. “We’ve lost a lot of Lions to cancer.”
Although a small crowd was on hand for the annual run to raise funds for cancer research in Parry Sound, hosted by Century 21 Granite Properties Limited, most of those participating had similar stories to tell, from lost siblings or spouses, to Jennifer Gall – currently undergoing treatment.
“It’s such a good cause and it all goes to research and, without a doubt, the money raised has made a difference,” said local Century 21 owner Dan Payerl. “So many more people survive cancer today.”
To date, the local Parry Sound run has raised more than $50,000 since Century 21 started to host it eight years ago. A total of 36 participants raised another $2,400 on Sunday as participants ran, walked and rolled 2.7 kilometers throughout the south end of town. Another run was hosted in the MacTier area, with local schools expected to host Terry Fox runs over the next few weeks.
To date, the Terry Fox Foundation has raised more than $600 million worldwide for cancer research, with 84 cents of every dollar going towards cancer-fighting initiatives, according to the foundation’s website.