My name is Anthony Rombotis and I am 11 years old. I am a Grade 5 student and I live in a community called Mistissini. When I was in Grade 2, I went to Ottawa with my family for Goose Break and I saw a statue of Terry Fox. I asked my parents who he was and why he had a statue. My parents told me who he was and that he wanted to run across Canada for a cure for cancer. My mom also told me that in September, many schools host a run to raise money for cancer research. I asked my mom if she could make a committee so that we could start having the Terry Fox Run at our school.
I was fascinated with superheroes and I knew they were not real but when I found out about Terry Fox, he was like a superhero to me. I asked my parents to take me to a bookstore and I went to buy books about Terry Fox because I wanted to learn more about him. In the books I got, I learned how he wanted to run from Newfoundland to British Columbia but he did not make it. He made it to Thunder Bay. I also watched a movie about him on YouTube with my parents.
One day when I was eating at a restaurant in Mistissini, I found out that someone I knew had cancer and I was really sad. I went home crying and wanted to really fundraise to find a cure.
Terry was determined. Even though it was hard to run with one leg, he never gave up. He believed in miracles, and so do I.
Anthony Rombotis
I helped my mom and the other teachers hang up posters around the community. I was very excited to bring this idea to my school. We started the Terry Fox walk/run in 2017 and raised $5,900. This year we raised $5,500.
All the students at Voyageur Memorial Elementary School were excited to learn about Terry Fox and to participate in the run. In our classes, our teachers also helped us to understand who he was and how he tried to help sick children with cancer. We listened to stories about him, watched videos, and tried to help others understand that it’s important to never forget his great work and his courage.
Terry was determined. Even though it was hard to run with one leg, he never gave up. He believed in miracles, and so do I.
A successful community walk
by Elizabeth Cox
On October 5, Voyageur Memorial Elementary School hosted a successful Terry Fox Run for the second year in a row. Students from Pre-K to Grade 6 proudly walked through the community alongside their teachers, administrators and support staff from the school.
While the Terry Fox Run originally began as a school event, it has definitely evolved into a community event thanks to the generous support from Mistissini community members as well as the families and friends of students who generously donated to this wonderful cause. Our students collected pledges and raised over $5500 for the Terry Fox Foundation.
Both last year and this year, VMS was proud to have cancer survivors from the community join the school on its walk. Last year, Eric Benac helped lead the walk and this year, it was Mary-Ann Blacksmith. Public Safety escorted the students through town during the walk while both the Brighter Futures department and Meechum grocery store donated snacks for the students for after the walk.
VMS is very thankful to its dedicated students, staff and Terry Fox planning committee members – Jacqueline Quinn, Elizabeth Cox and Ayesha Judge – for all the hard work that went into making this event a success!