On a brisk Friday morning on September 18, the students from Alexander Park Elementary set off down the trail beside the Kicking Horse River to honour the memory of Terry Fox.

The crowd of children made their way up the trail towards the theater and looped back to school to complete a 1.5 km circuit. Some students ran, and others walked, but everyone experienced a healthy dose of fresh air.

The purpose of the event, says Teacher Laurie MacDougall, is to promote physical activity.

“It is also about Terry’s message that anything is possible and anyone can make a difference. Just because we’re here in a small town and somewhat unconnected from the larger world, children can still realize their dreams.”

The message of Terry Fox is something that continues to inspire young Canadians to this day. The issue often moves the children at the school more than other issues because Fox was a Canadian, and he was also just a young man, explains MacDougall. The children make connections with him, she adds.

“The children are so young that Terry Fox is new to them and they become inspired, says MacDougall, adding, “He inspires an incredible amount of questions; about the geography of the run, his illness, and even what his leg is made from. There are always new questions about Terry and his life.”

After the event, the children were treated to a fruit snack and a prize draw. They were also presented with a series of short video clips about Terry Fox’s life. A donation box was presented to raise money for cancer and many children gave money from their own piggy banks.

The school has a run twice per week, Wednesdays at 12 p.m. and Fridays at 9 a.m. Community members are welcome to join.

MacDougall says, “It’s a festive affair and we don’t rush through it. We take our time and have conversations and experience things we don’t normally experience.”