Fred Fox says he can feel a sense of community when he visits small towns like Niagara-on-the-Lake.

“I think in a small community everybody knows each other and who’s been diagnosed with cancer. It makes it that much more meaningful,” he told The Lake Report during a visit to NOTL Wednesday afternoon.

Fox, brother of Canadian legend Terry Fox, stopped by town hall for the raising of the Terry Fox Run flag alongside Joan King and other members of the NOTL run’s organizing committee.

Terry Fox walked through Niagara-on-the-Lake in 1980 during his Marathon of Hope.

“All the stories, especially when I’m in Ontario or where Terry’s been, hearing the personal stories of getting out there and seeing Terry when they were six years old. It’s been amazing to hear those stories,” Fred Fox said.

“But the most important ones are somebody walking up to me, whether it’s a school event or an event like this and saying ‘my daughter’ or ‘my dad is alive today because of what Terry started in 1980.’ That’s what it’s all about.”

Fox said that he is amazed to see the hard work put in by organizer King and master fundraiser Joe Pillitteri along with the entire committee members who are reaching toward a goal of $1 million raised for cancer research.

“They could be doing anything else but they’ve chosen Terry and the Terry Fox Foundation,” he said.

This year’s Terry Fox run takes place at Simcoe Park on Sunday, Sept. 17. Registration is open at https://terryfox.org/.