As many Canadian charities reach out in May to solicit for legacy funds, a foundation with close ties to the Tri-Cities is also ramping up its philanthropic planning campaign.
Last week, the Terry Fox Foundation placed ads in national newspapers to ask donors to leave gift in their will for the non-profit group named after the Port Coquitlam hero.
Britt Andersen, a Belcarra resident who is the foundation’s executive director, told The Tri-City News the inaugural push will be especially meaningful for Tri-City residents, many of whom remember the national hero training for his 1980 Marathon of Hope.
“Terry Fox was a local boy who touched many lives with his run,” Andersen said, adding the Tri-City school and community runs, held in September, raised $40,000 last year.
Currently, about 4% of the foundation’s income comes in the form of legacy gifts. And, this month, Andersen said the charity will be encouraging some 3,000 people who have identified themselves as long-term foundation supporters to leave money after their death.
Andersen said the foundation is efficient with its operations: For every $1 it receives, 82 cents goes directly to researching cancer — the disease that took Fox’s life in 1981.
“People can go to our website and see the outcomes in research that we’re doing,” Andersen said. “We’re really making a difference in people’s lives. We walk the talk.”
• For more details about planned giving to the Terry Fox Foundation, visit terryfox.org.
