Ottawa, Ontario, February 4, 2011--The Honourable Peter Kent, Canada's Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, and Mr. Darrell Fox, brother of Terry Fox, today announced the finalists of the "What Terry Fox means to me" youth challenge, through which young Canadians were invited to express how this great Canadian hero and his legacy inspire them.
"Approximately 30 years ago Terry Fox found inspiration in the courage of cancer patients, many of them young children, to run his Marathon of Hope," said Minister Kent. "The legacy of Terry Fox continues to resonate with Canadians, and I believe that Terry would be very pleased to know that young Canadians today are so directly involved in this initiative."
"Terry's dream has been shared and embraced by millions of people over the years. With each new generation comes an opportunity to share Terry's story, revive his message of hope, and ensure the continuation of his dream" said Darrell Fox. "I am delighted that young Canadians are involved in developing the Mile 0 site where Terry began his Marathon of Hope."
Organized by the Government of Canada in collaboration with the Fox Family and the Terry Fox Foundation, the "What Terry Fox means to me" youth challenge included two components. First, young Canadians were invited to submit a quote of what Terry Fox means to them and second, to submit a design concept showing their interpretation of the route Terry Fox followed on his Marathon of Hope from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, to Thunder Bay, Ontario.
The challenge was launched on the Terry Fox Foundation website and in various social media platforms to invite young Canadians to participate. The contest ran from September 30 to October 29, 2010.
The finalist for the English quote is Andrew Schulz from the Fraser Lake Elementary-Secondary School, Fraser Lake, British Columbia and the French quote finalist is Alyssa Villeneuve from the St. Patrick Catholic Elementary School, Rockland, Ontario. As for the finalist of the design concept, Ashley Murray from the Barnhill Memorial Hill School, Saint John, New Brunswick was selected.
Parks Canada will use the selected quotes and route design concept as inspiration for the final design of the Terry Fox Mile '0' Memorial Site in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, the site where Terry Fox began his Marathon of Hope in 1980.
"When Terry dipped his prosthetic leg into the Atlantic, no one foresaw just how his act of courage, determination, and athleticism would influence a country and how his example would reverberate throughout generations," said Minister Kent. "Congratulations Andrew, Alyssa and Ashley and thank you for sharing with us what Terry Fox means to you."
For more information about Terry Fox or the Mile '0' Memorial Site please visit Parks Canada's website at http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/culture/proj/tfox/index.aspx.
Information:
Office of the Minister of the Environment
819-997-1441
Media Relations
Parks Canada
819-994-3023
www.twitter.com/parkscanada
