Guelph’s Terry Fox Run will be held virtually for a second year in a row due to the ongoing pandemic.
Just like last year, participants this year are asked to perform their own run where they gather pledges, collect money and send it to Terry Fox Foundation Ontario.
However this year, local organizers are using an innovative approach to raise funds. Terry Tech 2021 will introduce a QR code to drive donations directly to the community page and to offer supporters a quick and easy way to connect with the foundation.
The official date of the run would have been Sept. 19.
Local Terry Fox Run organizer Dave Picard, who has overseen the run for nearly two decades in Guelph, said the pandemic has created an opportunity to use digital fundraising strategies.
“We are working on improving the website and the fundraising platform to create a better fundraiser and donor experience, while also introducing new ways for people to give across various technical platforms," said Picard.
Last year, the virtual community run raised a total of $38,626 which was a drop from the $39,649 raised in 2019 but still higher than $38,529 raised in 2018.
In addition to the community run in 2020, school events in Guelph raised $37,270 and third party events raised $1,690 for a total of $77,586 raised locally. In 2019, the local walk surpassed the $1 million mark.
"We would like each run to be a celebration of Terry's goals and values and want to minimize strain on people and resources caused by the unpredictability of the pandemic. Just as importantly, we need to consider the expectations of our participants who would be attending a modified/minimal Terry Fox Run experience compared to previous years," said Picard.
Picard can be contacted at [email protected] or 519-831-2357.
