Terry Fox Foundation Calls on Canadians to Capture the Endurance of the Athlete’s Legacy in Latest Campaign

On April 12, 1980, Terry Fox set out on his Marathon of Hope. During this time and after Terry was forced to stop running, schools, offices, and communities across the country sent thousands of letters and drawings to express their admiration and support.

Forty-three years later, as registration opens for the annual Terry Fox Run, the Terry Fox Foundation is introducing a moving initiative inspired by those heartfelt words written by so many Canadians – Dear Terry.

Since Terry’s passing, the Terry Fox Foundation (TFF) has carried on his mission of funding cancer research, raising over $850 million to date for critical cancer research across Canada. For the launch of this year’s annual run campaign, TFF tapped agency partner No Fixed Address (NFA) to develop an integrated launch campaign and enticing creative platform to continue to inspire Canadians with the grit and determination of Terry’s legacy, still strong after over four decades.

“Terry is an iconic piece of Canadian history and with each passing year his story becomes more legendary and meaningful beyond one moment in September,” says Denise Dias, VP of marketing and communications for the Terry Fox Foundation. “As we look to evolve the brand and inspire the next generation of supporters, bringing Terry’s powerful story back to the forefront of culture with unique collaborations and charged launches becomes more important.”

Prior to developing the #DearTerry campaign idea with NFA, the Terry Fox Foundation enlisted the support of Ryan Reynolds, who himself has fond memories of participating in the Terry Fox Run as a child, with the goal of generating early excitement and anticipation for the 43rd annual Terry Fox Run taking place on September 17, 2023.

Providing a source of inspiration for the team at NFA, Canadian artist and fellow Terry Foxer, Douglas Coupland (who designed last year’s Terry Fox Run shirt) once said “before there was email, there was simply mail, and Terry Fox probably received more mail than anybody in Canadian history.” The campaign entitled #DearTerry aims to modernize the practice of writing to Terry, using digital mediums to galvanize future generations, turning the sentiment into a rally cry. The design of the campaign is anchored by an original font developed by replicating the average handwriting from countless letters sent to Terry and the Fox Family over the years.

To tease out the campaign, partner Ryan Reynolds kicked off the #DearTerry rally cry with the first ever pre-sale of the annual Terry Fox Run t-shirt. Designed by NFA with input from Reynolds and the Fox Family, the shirt featured real letters from Canadians, both past and present. Since then, more than 28,000 shirts have been sold with over $1 million raised in support of cancer research.

Now, April 12 marks the opening of this year’s Terry Fox Run, the Terry Fox Foundation is announcing a global call for early run registrations and #DearTerry messages through the launch of this campaign. To celebrate and share how Terry’s remarkable story continues to inspire people around the world, all Terry Foxers and supporters are invited to submit their #DearTerry messages for a chance to be featured in this year’s run campaign, including on a custom-made commemorative #DearTerry poster designed by famed artist Mutant 101® that will be released on September 17, 2023.