Dear Editor;
The Terry Fox Run is very important to many people in the community and Ponoka students work very hard to help those who have been touched by cancer. They are working towards a positive goal that is valuable for them and the community.
It is important to note that the run is “not just the run”…it is a project from the heart. All the boys and girls are very aware that we are part of a community and that we can help each other. Each year, in every classroom, the story of Terry Fox and his determination is shared. Many discussions and the relating of many personal stories can be hard in the classrooms. We’ve all been touched by cancer…even the youngest of our students.
We celebrate Terry’s bravery and honor his commitment to his goal. The boys and girls read about Terry, design posters, write stories and create poems. Students volunteer to offer inspirational messages and present songs, poems and cheers over the intercom during morning announcements.
They also do a lot of thinking. One of our graduating Grade 5 girls has donated her hair to help make wigs for recovering cancer patients. She’s done this twice! She may be little, but she has certainly made a difference in someone’s life.
When the school began the Terry Fox Run 11 years ago, Linda Lauer wrote the song, “I Can Make a Difference” and it has become a tradition at PES to sing it at our opening ceremony each year. The song talks about Terry’s great dream of finding a cure for cancer and how each of us, no matter how old or young, can help Terry’s dream come true. The chorus says: “I can make a difference—I’m little but I can, I can make a difference, for my fellow man, just show me what to do—I will walk the walk with you, Oh cancer can be beaten—it can start with one or two.”
In past runs the students have seen the community pulling together and keeping Terry’s dream alive.
Supporting each other as a community and showing the students that they can make a difference in the world and the lives of other people is important and we hope that the support will carry on for years to come.
Thank you,
The Ponoka Elementary School Terry Fox Committee