Norwell District Secondary School held its annual Terry Fox Walk on September 25th, carrying on Terry’s legacy. The walk was led by Norwell’s Student Council co-presidents, and proud flag bearers Blair C and Quiana S.
Students and teachers started their walk at the school, then continued through Lions Heritage Park, over to the Fire Hall and finally back to the school. The streets were full of Norwell colours, loud and proud.
This year, Norwell embraced Terry’s famous challenge to “FINISH IT!”, and find the cure for cancer.
Norwell worked hard to raise funds for the Terry Fox Foundation, with a goal of raising $2,500. The Terry Fox Foundation is a charity that aims to raise money for cancer research with the objective of finding alternative approaches to battle cancer and improve diagnosis time. The foundation is able to work towards this goal through donations and community events such as the worldwide Terry Fox Run.
Thanks to the generosity of the student body and staff members, Norwell raised a total of $2,576.75. In the 29 years of participating, Norwell has raised over $100,000 for the Terry Fox Foundation.
Norwell leadership students organized a fundraising competition with both class and individual categories. Students from the Leadership class established the “Terry Cup,” awarded to the class that raised the most money, and a gold medal for the top individual fundraiser. Ms. Yake’s grade twelve math class raised the most money per student with a total of $333.00, and will display the Terry Cup in their classroom for the remainder of the semester. Ryan L was the top individual fundraiser, collecting $145.00, and will wear a gold medal for the duration of his high school career. Daniel R was the winning runner with the fastest time for the Terry Fox run and will enjoy a donated gift card from Tito’s Pizza.
The Terry Fox event was more than just a walk; it was a time to remember that one community truly can make a difference in finding a cure for cancer. “Even if I don’t finish, we need others to continue. It’s going to keep going without me,” Terry Fox once said. As the Marathon of hope continues, Norwell will continue to raise money for further research towards making a difference; one step, and one donation at a time.