Small operation making big impact in Sunday’s annual Terry Fox Run

September 10, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte

Since 1981, the name “Terry Fox” has become synonymous with hope, philanthropy, and the joy of giving.

All three ring true for the team from Muldoon Marketing, running in Aurora’s Terry Fox Run for the past decade.

This year’s annual Terry Fox Run will be held Sunday, September 14, with participants from thousands of run sites across Canada running and walking 2-15 kilometres to raise funds for cancer research.

Based in Aurora, Muldoon Marketing is a three-person operation providing promotional marketing.

Small yet powerful, their Terry Fox Run team “Run Muldoon Run” has raised almost $1,400 this year for the charity, a number Melissa Bevins says is not unusual for the team.

Over the years, the Muldoon team has grown to include spouses, kids, and other family members.

Ten years ago, the marketing firm was looking for a distraction from the daily grind.

“Jackie (Kubica, president) said ‘everyone should go out and have a walk, or get moving,” said Bevins, account manager at Muldoon.

They put an incentive program in place over the summer, with employees reporting the number of steps they took with a pedometer each week.
And at the end of the summer, the Terry Fox Run would serve as the finale.

“It was sort of an end goal,” said Bevins. “It’s a wonderful, well-known charity that everyone was happy to participate in.”

Since its inception, the Terry Fox Run has raised over $600 million for cancer research and expanded to locations around the world.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, about two in five Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetimes. Approximately 190,000 new cases occur each year in Canada.

“Since we started participating, basically everyone in here has either lost someone to cancer, or known someone battling cancer. We kept going because it was something near to our hearts.”

Bevins lost her grandmother to cancer, and her husband’s father has been battling the disease for years.

“We’ve always had a really great time,” said Bevins. “It’s a very inclusive event – we can walk it with our kids, and strollers…it’s nice to be out of the office with your peers and coworkers, as well as your family.”

The Aurora run has a distance and challenge level for all participants, involving a 2 km, 5 km, and 10 km heat.

“It brings you through the trails, it’s a very nice and serene walk,” said Bevins. “Everyone just takes the time to enjoy it.”

When asked what the team was looking forward to the most in their tenth Terry Fox Run, employee Lisa Brown simply stated “good weather.” The team also looks forward to the pre-race speakers at the event, who discuss their own battles and experiences with cancer.

“It’s sort of a nice motivation to begin the walk. It’s a good time for reflection, not only on how lucky we have been, but also what we have lost. And hopefully in the future we won’t have to worry about it anymore.”

In 2013, 503 participants in the Aurora Terry Fox Run were able to raise over $24,000 for the charity, much higher than the roughly $16,000 average from previous years.

And with the easy online registration process and no entry fee, these numbers are expected to climb even further.

This year’s Aurora Terry Fox Run takes off from Sheppard’s Bush Soccer Fields at 10 a.m. this Sunday, with registration beginning at 8:30.

To donate, participate, or find more information, visit www.terryfox.org. Specific donations to the Run Muldoon Run team can also be made by searching under the “Teams” tab.