With a goal of $32,100, members of the Queen’s community went the extra mile for Terry Fox, helping Kingston raise over $60,000.
Of the 258 pre-registered runners, over 20 were Queen’s students participating in the Kingston Terry Fox Run on Sept. 14 at Lake Ontario Park. More than a dozen members of the Queen’s Terry Fox Club acted as volunteers, assisting with the logistics and planning of the run.
Queen’s organizations, including the Queen’s Sinclair Cancer Research Institute, Queen’s Rehab, and Queen’s Terry Fox Club, helped to raise over $9,000—contributing to the $60,715 raised by the run.
While the final count of runners has yet to be determined, organizers expect the total to be upwards of 500 participants, surpassing last year’s total of approximately 300 runners who raised $46,000, according to the organizers.
In an interview with The Journal, lead organizer Kristi Murphy praised the University for its involvement in hitting these goals. “Queen’s has stepped up particularly this year,” Murphy said. “We always have our Sinclair Cancer Research Institute researchers that we adore, but Queen’s students on the whole have been showing up more and more every year, not only as volunteers, but also helping to cheer the participants on.”
This increase in student involvement is in part due to the Queen’s Terry Fox Club, which was founded by Rami Idris, HealthSci ’27, in January 2025 with an executive team of fourteen people. Before the Run, Idris spoke with The Journal about why Queen’s students choose to participate.
“Cancer is something that affects everybody’s life,” he said. “Most people you speak to have an experience, whether it be with a loved one, friend, family member, or even just an interest in the field. That’s why Terry’s message resonates with so many people.”
In the winter semester, the club hosted two fundraising events—a raffle and a Cancer Research Summit featuring guest speakers from the field, including Dr. Maha Othman, Dr. Neil Renwick, and Dr. Myron Szewczuk. Through these efforts, the organization was able to raise around $500. While Idris considers this a good start, he hopes to do even more student interaction and fundraising this year.
Murphy also plans to increase engagement with students and hopes to further involve Queen’s varsity teams in the coming years. She emphasized how important community-building is to the success of the run.
Both Murphy and Idris encouraged students who might be hesitant to participate to join in the run next year.
“It’s completely accessible, regardless of your physical strengths,” Murphy said. “You can run it; you can roll it. There’s no minimum donation, and there’s no registration fee. You can just come and participate.”
Tags
Cancer fundraiser, Terry Fox, Terry Fox Run
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