Fred Fox, the older brother of Terry Fox, paid tribute to Arborg and surrounding communities last week for their outstanding fundraising efforts over the years to help the Terry Fox Foundation find a cure for cancer through research support.
Fox spent a day meeting with members of the Arborg Terry Fox Committee, businesses, schools and the fire department – all of whom play a role in supporting the foundation through Arborg’s annual Terry Fox Run.
Arborg and the surrounding area (referred to Arborg for simplicity) earned the distinction of being the Terry Fox Foundation’s top fundraising community in Manitoba on a per capita basis. Arborg is also in the top two per cent of fundraising communities across Canada on a per capita basis.
Donna Gislason, the outgoing chair of the Arborg Terry Fox Committee, said Fox paid tribute to her, the committee, the organizations and people from Arborg, the Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton and beyond for their generosity and commitment to help find a cure for cancer. That commitment never wavered, even during the COVID-19 pandemic when the committee pivoted to a virtual format.
“This was so emotional. It makes me feel so proud of our community and the generous people that live here,” said Gislason, who has served as chair for about 15 years. “I’ve never been prouder of them.”
The community was “beyond thrilled” to find out that Fox planned to visit them, she said. And when she got to meet him, her impression was that he is so passionate about his brother and the foundation, and a caring and humble person.
Terry Fox is a Canadian icon whose battle with cancer and determination to fight it continue to inspire generations. Born in British Columbia, Fox embarked on a Marathon of Hope in April 1980 at the age of 18 after losing a leg to cancer. He was determined to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. After running over 5,000 kilometres, he had to stop when the cancer spread to his lungs. He died in June 1981.
The volunteer foundation that was created in Fox’s name provides funds to cancer research projects. About $850 million has been raised since 1980. The annual Terry Fox Run sees communities from across Canada take part in raising funds for the foundation.
Gislason said that in addition to the generosity of Arborg and area donors, the committee is “very fortunate” to have the volunteers it has had and does have as they’ve been a vital part of the success story. She also thanks the school for its efforts.
“It was so moving at the school. The community should be so proud of our school, the staff and the students because they were outstanding. They put together so much for Fred and I think he was overwhelmed by it. I myself couldn’t believe it. I just can’t commend [teacher] Cheryl [Chwaliboga] and everyone else at the school enough for what they did.”
Arborg Early Middle School teacher Cheryl Chwaliboga, who’s a member of the Arborg Terry Fox Committee, coordinated the school activities around Fred Fox’s visit.
Last year’s Terry Fox Run was a banner year for Arborg and the surrounding community, raising over $41,000, with $10,000 of that raised by the school.
Chwaliboga said Fred visited the local Co-op, Access Credit Union, the Arborg Legion and the fire hall to thank them because they’re “big supporters” of the annual run.
AEMS students left no stone unturned in their bid to welcome Fox to the school. They got as many old Terry Fox shirts as they could, and hung them on the walls in the school’s entrance hall.
“Prior to him coming, staff and kids in every class took on a job because we wanted to create a big welcome for Fred,” said Chwaliboga. “One class made banners for welcoming him. Another class decorated a runner and put inspirational words about Terry on that. Kindergarten students decorated T-Shirts. We had some poems and thank you cards for Fred. Another class made a booklet about what it means to be a hero and why Terry was a hero.”
Express Photo by Corrine Einarsson
The school also held an assembly and invited students and staff from the high school. Principal Brad Harding welcomed the assembly and two high school students spoke about how cancer affects all of us and the importance of cancer research, she said. Then Fred spoke to the assembly, telling them about his brother’s life.
“It was incredible to hear Terry’s story from someone so close to him,” she said. “It brought his story to a whole new level. You can read about Terry’s life, but this was so much more personal hearing it from Fred about his courage and determination.”
Afterwards, AEMS’ choir sang You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban and they watched a two-minute video on Terry. They had lunch with Fred then fire trucks from the department led them on a walk to the recreation centre where they took a picture at the town’s iconic Curling Rock
“Fred is a down-to-earth guy and very easy to talk to. He was appreciative of everyone. He did a presentation at the Co-op and at the credit union and thanked everyone for their efforts and getting involved and how important every little bit is to help keep Terry’s dream alive,” said Chwaliboga. “He did a presentation for the community in the evening. They had a banner that says Terry Lives Here, and Fred said that from being in our school and seeing the support in our community, he could tell that Terry really does live here. That was so nice to hear.”
Fox, who acts as the supporter relations contact for the Terry Fox Foundation, said the people he met in Arborg were very welcoming and the full day of activities made it a memorable event.
Express Photo by Corrine Einarsson
“Everyone I met in Arborg was so welcoming and my time there was heartwarming. The schedule in Arborg was full and amazing,” said Fox.
He arrived last Tuesday evening and had supper with members of the community. The following morning, he joined the Arborg Terry Fox Committee for breakfast at Gislason’s home then visited community businesses, the fire hall, the legion and early-middle years and high school students.
“The full day made my visit one of the most memorable things I’ve ever done in my visits across Canada,” he said. “I hope to return to Arborg in the future.”
He wanted to visit Arborg because it has supported Terry from the get-go in 1981 when the first Terry Fox runs were held, he said.
“Arborg has the highest per capita of fundraising for a Manitoba Community at $24.33 per person, the 11th highest in Canada. The whole community of Arborg came together for an outstanding year with a head-shave challenge, barbeques and a Terry Fox Run,” said Fox. “It was great to visit and acknowledge Arborg’s commitment to Terry’s dream. It was nice also to recognize Donna Gislason and her leadership.”
When asked why he thinks his brother’s story continues to resonate so strongly with Canadians, Fox said he thinks it’s the characteristics Terry showed during his Marathon of Hope
“I feel it’s Terry, his effort in 1980 during the Marathon of Hope, his sacrifice, his honesty, humility, and integrity that what he was doing would one day make a difference to those with cancer that still impacts Canadians of all ages,” said Fox. “For almost 45 years, in thousands of schools across Canada, students have learned … about his determination, how he always needed to work hard and never gave up. Terry is a perfect example of what it is to be Canadian. Terry would often say during his MOH that we will all be touched by cancer, maybe not personally, but a family member, friend or neighbour will be diagnosed with cancer and that’s why it was important to give a $1 to cancer research. Terry’s message is still important today.”
Express Photo by Corrine Einarsson
