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Two girls brought together more than 50 friends, family and neighbors to walk in honor of a breast-cancer survivor.

One day while painting, 9-year-old Abbey Whittle and 8-year-old Ella Kirkman came up with the idea to raise money for breast-cancer research in honor of Ella’s mom, Kim.

“I felt bad because I missed the Women’s Only 5K,” Abbey said.
“I asked Ella if she wanted to help.”

The girls made hand-written “Kickin’ Cancer for Kim” fliers with the walk route and collected donations from family, friends and neighbors.

The two walked throughout their neighborhood.

“She went on one side, I went on the other until there was one house left, and we did it together,” Ella said. “I wanted to support my mom and help the hospital find a cure.”

On the first day of collecting, the girls collected nearly $100. As of last week, they had raised $775, and money is still coming in.
“Two little girls having this thought and following through really makes you think you can make a difference,” said Kim Kirkman, Ella’s mom and the fundraiser’s focus.

Kirkman received a diagnosis of breast cancer on Aug. 3. She is undergoing chemotherapy treatments and is determined to win this battle.

Though she wasn’t strong enough to participate in the walk, Kirkman was able to draw strength from the girl’s determination to see this project through.

“Sometimes with kids, you think 'Oh, that’s cute’ and it never comes to fruition,” Kirkman said.

“I thought they were just going to go to our immediate next door neighbors, but they kept going.”

Giving up was never a thought in the girls’ minds.

“You’ve got to always think about the positive — don’t give up,” Ella said.
Abbey’s mom, Allis
on Whittle, said that this event is simply an extension of the service learning the girls are being taught in their schools.

Ella is in third grade at Sternberger Elementary School, and Abbey is a fourth-grader at Greensboro Day School.

The Guilford County Schools and Greensboro Day place emphasis on learning to serve others outside the classroom and school.
After all was said and done, the girls drew more than 50 people to participate in the two-mile walk around the Starmount Forest and Hamilton Lakes neighborhoods without the help of social media.

“We’ll do the social networking the next time, and next time it’ll be even bigger,” Kirkman said.

Contact Tiffany S. Jones at 373- 7157 or tiffany.jones@news-record.com