2008 Terry Fox Tour of Hope

 Everyone remembers Terry Fox, and his heroic run to raise funds for cancer research in 1980.  Most will probably remember the 1980 Ford Econoline van that followed Terry throughout this epic journey.  For 4 1/2 months, that van was his home.  After his illness forced him to cut the run short, the van was turned back and, for the most part, forgotten about.  Late last year, this special van was discovered on the west coast of Canada, and returned home.  Ford Motor Company restored the van to its original glory, after which the Terry Fox Foundation decided to take it on a cross-country tour, aptly renaming it "The Terry Fox Tour of Hope". 

When a couple of local representatives approached Taber Ford for a donation, we decided to take things up a notch and have the Tour of Hope make a stop at our dealership to help raise awareness of the upcoming Terry Fox Run, and the tour itself.  So with the help and co-operation of the Terry Fox Foundation, some amazing local citizens and our incredible staff, the first annual “Taber Ford Family Day” took place on August 25^th, 2008.  To encourage people to come out and see this important piece of Canadiana, we wanted to ensure we created a splash to bring our community together.  In that vein, a dunk tank was brought in; we had face painting and activities for the kids, live music, and great food (replete with Taber corn, of course!) to make it all gel.  When all was said and done, we estimated well over 300 people in attendance who, together, raised over $8000 for the Terry Fox Foundation.  Two weeks later, the town of  Taber’s own Terry Fox Run went on to raise an ADDITIONAL $34,000 for the foundation.  Well done, Taber!