ST. ANDREWS WEST, Ontario – The nearly 200 students at the St. Andrews Catholic School in St. Andrews West have achieved a remarkable accomplishment. By Friday, Oct.8 they had raised $5,505 as a part of their annual Terry Fox Run fundraiser.
The school had originally set a goal of raising $1,000. When it became clear that the students would surpass that initial goal, the number was upped to $1,500. To encourage the students to meet that number, Principal Jim Malyon said that he would do a karaoke variety show if they reached the new goal, with each class getting to pick one song that he would perform. Apparently that was all the encouragement the students needed because they exceeded their second goal by $4,000.
“I had no idea what to expect. This is my first month here,” Malyon said. “I can’t imagine that we have such a generous community.”
The previous record for funds raised for the Terry Fox Run at St. Andrews Catholic School was $4,700. Over the past 15 years, the school has raised around $28,000 for the Terry Fox Run.
Kids donated different amounts from two dollars, all the way up to some students who were able to donate $300. The money was collected from their family and friends.
On Friday, the students got together outside on a beautiful fall day to walk and run in remembrance of the Canadian hero Terry Fox, who battled cancer and who in 1980 attempted to run across Canada after losing a leg to cancer. Terry would sadly not complete his trek across Canada, but runs have been held every year since in his memory.
The students of St. Andrews Catholic School ran different distances based on their ages. Grade 1 & 2 students ran 800 meters, with students in Grades 4 and up running up to three kilometers.
