What Terry Fox Taught Me About Community

When I first came to Canada, there were many things I had to learn.

I had to become familiar with a new school system, adjust to a different environment, and understand traditions that I had never experienced before. Among the many names I encountered during my first few years in Canada, one appeared especially often every September: Terry Fox.

In 1980, Terry Fox began the Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. After losing a leg to cancer, he ran thousands of kilometers across Canada before his journey was cut short when his cancer spread.

What stands out to me is not only the distance he ran, but what happened afterward.

People across Canada came together to continue supporting the cause he had started. His individual effort became a national movement, and the annual Terry Fox Run continues to bring communities together to raise money for cancer research.

As an international student, this made me think differently about what it means to be part of a community.

Sometimes, community begins with one person deciding to care.

Community is built through participation

When you move to a new country, it can be easy to think of community as a place you need to find.

You look for friends. You look for clubs. You look for people who share your interests or understand where you come from.

But Terry Fox's story made me think about another perspective of belonging: creating community through participation.

You do not have to wait until you feel completely comfortable to contribute.

You can volunteer at a local organization. You can participate in a school fundraiser. You can help organize an event. You can simply show up and support a cause that matters to the people around you.

These actions may seem small individually, but communities are built from exactly these small acts of participation.

What makes a legacy?

Terry Fox could not finish his journey across Canada.

Yet his goal continued long after he stopped running.

This is what I find most meaningful about his legacy.

Learning about Terry Fox changed how I think about my own experience in Canada. When we move somewhere new, we can feel like temporary members in a community. But, we can contribute too. Our experiences, ideas, cultures, and skills become part of the communities we enter.

A lesson that crosses borders

Terry Fox's story began in Canada, but the idea behind it is universal.

You do not need to be famous or popular to make a difference.

You do not need to have everything figured out.

And you do not need to do something extraordinary by yourself.

Sometimes, making an impact begins with one person taking the first step—and a community deciding to take the next one together.

As an international student, Terry Fox has taught me something I did not expect to learn when I first heard his name:

Belonging is not only about finding a community. It is also about helping build one.

And today, we honor him.