At Manitouwadge Public School 3 young siblings, Miah (5 yrs), Taya (5 yrs) and River (4 yrs)  Wheadon were especially enthusiastic about the opportunity to participate and continue a legacy of supporting the Terry Fox Foundation which began with their Great-Grandparents Ruth and Red who were in attendance when Terry’s run ended outside Thunder Bay more than 30 years ago and had been inspired at the time to become members of the Terry Fox Foundation.  When canvassing and on Run day the three girls, two of whom are in Grade 1 and one which is in Junior Kindergarten, wore Terry Fox t-shirts personalized by their Mom, Gina Wheadon, with the names of those they were walking in honour of ‘Uncle Len’, ‘Grandpa George’, and ‘Tommy Gould’ (friend of the family). In total the girls raised $378.00 which was added to their school’s total and, no doubt, would have made their great-grandparents incredibly proud. Their Mom was clearly impressed with her daughter’s diligence “They did all their own canvassing, going to knock on the doors themselves and explaining why they were seeking pledges” said Wheadon adding “I’m so proud of their commitment to the cause and their hard work”. Wheadon also wanted to thank all of the people who had pledged her girls “Manitouwadge is such a generous community”.

The three siblings were presented with a book by their Principal Patricia Moonilal to recognize them as the students at MPS who raised the most money “We’re very proud of them” said Moonilal about the girls who have clearly set the bar high for Manitouwadge Public School’s pledge gatherers in 2013.

Though they are the smallest school, with just 30 students, École Publique Franco-Manitou collected the largest amount of funds with an incredible $705.33 raised, BRAVO, bien fait ÉPFM!

Many teachers used the run as an opportunity to teach some important lessons. Some used materials provided by the Terry Fox Foundation, Kindergarten to Grade 8 Lesson Plans, which can be found on the site by CLICKING HERE.  In addition to learning about Terry Fox, his Marathon of Hope, the Terry Fox Foundation and cancer research, students told OntarioNewsNorth.com that the run represented many things to them including; kindness, generosity, helping others, selflessness, determination, cancer research, hope and how one person can make a difference that positively impacts many generations.

Each of the schools thanked their students, volunteers and staff for their diligence in fundraising and/or enthusiastic participation; each also offered thanks to the community at large for their generous support.

OntarioNewsNorth.com adds its Congratulations! to the students at all three schools, your efforts and enthusiastic participation provide more than just funds for cancer research, they provide hope for the potential to find a cure and a cancer free future.