Terry Fox Runs in the local area raised thousands to help fund research, education and other programs for cancer.

Brockville and Gananoque’s Terry Fox Runs were held on Sunday, with many in the community participating and supporting the events.

Ted Raby, organizer of Brockville's run at the Thousand Islands Secondary School track, said the local event raised more than $12,000, with $7,500 coming in from online donations and the remainder being raised from Sunday's event. There were about 50 participants.

Meanwhile, in Gananoque, seven-year-old local Matthew Moorhead, who battles with leukemia, helped kick off the event, which began and ended at Town Hall Park, by ringing Town Crier Brian Mabee's bell.

“It was great,” said Christine Milks, an organizer of the event. “And of course, the weather was lovely. Gananoque had the biggest turnout and raised the most money since 2016.”

Roughly, $16,600 was raised by the community.

“That’s exciting,” said Milks. “And for Ontario overall, it was an overwhelming success. (Organizers) believe that Ontario, at a conservative estimate, raised over $6 million, which really beats their 2022 results. It shows you that the people in Ontario and Canada are wonderful.”

Milks estimates that more than 150 people participated in Gananoque’s run.

“That’s a good number,” said Milks, an organizer of the event for the last five years.

“The support from Gananoque and the Town of Gananoque reflects how the community truly is. Everyone who comes to a Terry Fox run comes with some sort of personal story, but when we all come together, we come together as a community. I can’t help but think, maybe that’s the biggest gift Terry Fox gave us all, that he showed us how to be a community and what you can accomplish when you work together.”

Nearby, rockport’s Terry Fox Run raised $2,055.

“But that does not include the total from our silent auction and money from run day,” said McKenna Modler, a communications and community services assistant with the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands.

“We hope to have those totals by next week.”

Rockport’s run included activities at the Rockport Recreation Hall on the Thousand Islands Parkway, activities like a silent auction, children's games, swag items and T-shirts as well a barbecue and music.

The walk/run was for five-kilometers up on the parkway towards Mallorytown and then participants turned around at the five-kilometre mark, which made the walk a total of 10 kilometres.

With files from Ronald Zajac, Brockville Recorder and Times.

(Keith Dempsey is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Brockville Recorder and Times. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.)

Keith Dempsey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Brockville Recorder and Times