The Terry Fox 10km

This is my first time participating in a Terry Fox Run, and my first time fundraising since elementary school. Like so many young children, I was often enlisted to fund raise for nebulous school-related causes. The purpose of our efforts was never explained to us kids; we just dutifully marched off and sold wrapping paper to our parents, and cookie dough to our neighbors.

 OK, that's a lie. I never actually sold any of the cookie dough to our neighbors. I did, however, eat a lot of cookie dough, a skill that I've maintained to this day. Running for cancer research with the Terry Fox Foundation will undoubtedly be a more useful endeavour – not to mention less preservative-laden.

There are a number of reasons I'm participating in the Terry Fox Run. The most important reason is this guy:

By "this guy", I mean the guy on the left, named Bryan. Bryan was my partner Matt's dad. He was also one of the most genuinely great people I've ever known. Bryan passed away from cancer two summers ago, and his absence is still felt by his family every day. Much is made in grief literature about the horrible first year that follows a loved one's death. But the grief doesn't necessarily dissipate after the first year, it just changes form. As caring as extra-familial friends often are, their lives move on, and the extra calls, letters, and prayers dwindle. Life moves on for the family, too, whether they want it to or not, and family members are left to navigate life without their loved one.

 I only knew Bryan for a little under two years, but he made a sizable impact in my life. Participating in the Terry Fox Run is one small way I feel I can honor his memory. I may write more about him later, provided it doesn't seem too maudlin. I'm not interested in carving out a narcissistic sob story, but in remembering a life that was, I believe, excellently lived.

So why the Terry Fox Run, instead of any of the other myriad cancer fundraising endeavors out there? Allow me to prelude my answer with a full disclosure: I am a grad student who studies charities. This doesn't mean I'm The Definitive Judge of Charitable Worth (though that would be an awesome title). It does, however, mean that I spend a good portion of my days reading and thinking about charities, often with a fairly critical edge.

Everything I've read about The Terry Fox Foundation leads me to believe it is a very trustworthy organization. Their website (http://www.terryfox.org/ ) provides an transparent breakdown of all the research projects that receive funding. I entered a few terms in their searchable database, and was impressed with the variety of work receiving their support. Moreover, 84 cents of every dollar raised by the Foundation goes to cancer research - an extremely impressive proportion!

As far as the Terry Fox Run itself goes, I like the fact that there's no entry fee to participate. At the risk of sounding like a horrible person, I hate when organizations charge you to raise money for them. To use an imperfect metaphor, it feels like charging someone to shop at your store. (Which is of course what Costco does, but this blog is not about how much I hate Costco, so let's move on.)

 Finally, I appreciate the fact that the Terry Fox Run doesn't set a minimum fundraising goal for it's participants. I like this not because I am a cheapskate, but because I am a wuss who hates asking people for money. It also helps democratize the Run. This, and the fore-mentioned free entry, allow pretty much anyone to participate in the run or donate to the Foundation.

Speaking of which...I have set the fairly low fundraising goal of 50$. At the bottom of this post I'll put a link to my fundraising page; please consider donating if you have the money, time and inclination. If not, please check back here from time to time. I will continue to write about running, charities, Bryan, or other things that may seem relevant as the days progress. I'd also love it if you left a comment, either here or on my fundraising page. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and come back soon!

Krista's fundraising page