(Vancouver, BC,) – The Terry Fox Foundation (TFF) is pleased to announce that Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou will participate in the Terry Fox Run being held in Taipei, Taiwan on Saturday November 15, 2014 at Taipei University. Joining President Ma at the start line will be Terry Fox’s brother Darrell Fox, MP John Weston (West Vancouver – Sunshine Coast – Sea to Sky Country), Taipei University leaders as well as representatives from joint governmental economic, cultural and trade offices in Canada and Taiwan.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have President Ma participate in the Terry Fox Run in Taiwan. We are deeply grateful for all the hard work by so many here in Canada as well as in Taiwan over the past 18 months, allowing Terry’s dream to continue and to honour his legacy in a country so far removed from his own,” said Judith Fox-Alder, International Director for the Terry Fox Foundation.
“The story of Terry Fox is one of the last century's most moving examples of a person's struggle. This run will help to promote ties between our two countries,” said President Ma, an ardent supporter who participated in the Taiwan run 12 times previously. The run formerly ranked among the top ten Terry Fox Runs worldwide for its success in raising funds and attracting participants (over 4,000 in 2004).
Following a seven-year gap, the Taipei run is now being restored under new leadership and support from the Taiwan-Canada and Canada-Taiwan Friendship Groups, the Taipei Economic Cultural Office, the Canadian Trade Office in Taiwan, and Taipei University, the new run host.
“I am delighted to say that, after many years, the Terry Fox Run will once again return to the scene in Taiwan. What an honour to be on hand to talk about Terry Fox’s message in the place where I lived so happily for a decade,” said John Weston, MP for West Vancouver – Sunshine Coast – Sea to Sky Country, and Chair of the Canada-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group. “Inspired by a Canadian hero, the Run profiles the search for the cure for cancer. It’s an honour that Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-Jeou will join with Darrell Fox, Terry’s brother, in the event. On a people-to-people level, it will also be a chance to promote values shared by the peoples of Taiwan and Canada: freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.”
The funds raised in Taipei will be held in trust by the TFF until such time that research projects have been identified in Taiwan for investment. The Foundation’s research arm, The Terry Fox Research Institute, will be involved in the research project identification process.
Under a previous agreement between TFRI and the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC), TFRI-funded researchers in British Columbia and medical researchers in Taiwan are collaborating on research projects in leukemia, liver and lung cancer. The goal of these projects is to fund new knowledge in these areas as well as to find new and better ways to treat cancer for the benefit of both countries.
Countries around the world hold annual events to raise money for cancer research in memory of Terry Fox. Nearly all monies raised at runs outside Canada are retained in the host country, funding research projects at recognized research institutions approved by The Terry Fox Foundation on the advice of the Terry Fox Research Institute. In 2013, 28 countries held Terry Fox runs at 5,056 sites around the world, with a total of over 2 million participants.
About TFF
The Terry Fox Foundation maintains the vision and principles of Terry Fox while raising money for cancer research through the annual Terry Fox Run, Terry’s CAUSE on Campus, National School Run Day and other fundraising initiatives. To date, over $650 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry Fox's name. The first Terry Fox Run was held in 1981, with The Terry Fox Foundation being created in 1988. Its national headquarters are located in Chilliwack, BC and it has offices in 9 provinces. www.terryfox.org.
For more information, or to schedule an interview*, contact:
Kelly Curwin, Chief Communications Officer
Terry Fox Research Institute
604-675-8223
kcurwin@tfri.ca
Josh Hemond, Director of Communications
Office of John Weston, MP for West Vancouver
604-340-2981
www.JohnWeston.ca
*Darrell Fox available through Monday, Nov. 10th; MP Weston available until Nov. 12th