Staff
After organizing the annual Terry Fox Run here for the past six years, the Church of the Holy Spirit was ready to hand the baton over to another group or individual.
And a few months ago, the Volunteer Bureau willingly stepped up to take on organizing the event that they had run for many years before the church got involved.
“It’s a good cause,” stressed Gail Beyak, who joined the Volunteer Bureau back in January. “It’s something we did in the past and feel it is important.
“It’s one of those things that is near and dear to my heart because we’ve had different types of cancer in our family,” she explained.
“So we feel it’s very important to keep research going.”
However, the Terry Fox Foundation was unaware a new organizer had been secured and recently put out a call looking for someone to head the event.
That’s when Fort Frances Times reporter Joey Payeur jumped on board in an effort to ensure the event would forge ahead.
“My family has personally been touched by cancer,” he noted as to why he wanted to get involved.
So Payeur was put in touch with Beyak and the pair plan to work together.
“It’s great for us because I’m new to this, so all the help I can get will be just awesome,” Beyak stressed.
She noted she’s walked in the “Marathon of Hope” in the past, but she has never organized the event before.
But Payeur has experience organizing events such as this, having spearheaded the Terry Fox Runs at Sakatcheway Anishinabe School in Grassy Narrows First Nation in 2011 and 2012.
“We had pretty much full school participation and we raised approximately several hundred dollars over the two years I oversaw it . . . which was above my expectations,” he said.
“So together, I think we can we can do much better than just on my own,” Beyak reasoned.
The Church of the Holy Spirit passed along their planning materials—including information on what worked and what didn’t—and the Terry Fox Foundation is also sending out information and materials to the pair, as well.
They will be meeting soon to start getting a plan together.
The Terry Fox Run will be held Sept. 18.
That is the day after the rescheduled date of the Boundary Waters Dragon Boat Festival and Payeur has suggested maybe the two could be linked somehow.
“There is very good potential to recruit many more participants for the Terry Fox Run from those who will be competing in the dragon boat festival,” he noted, citing he has been told that often paddlers are runners as well, so he’s hoping they come out and support the “Marathon of Hope.”
Since 1993, the Terry Fox Run in Fort Frances has raised a total of $201,597.81.
Last year’s run here saw 99 participants raise a total of $6,150.
“I’m hoping I can do it justice,” Beyak voiced. “It’s hard shoes to fill when they’ve done such a fantastic job before.
“We do have to carry on and be positive for those who are struggling right now,” she reasoned.
“It makes it even more important than ever to keep it alive.”
“This is something I take very seriously,” Payeur echoed. “I definitely want to lend myself to the cause of fighting, and one day defeating, cancer.”
