Gilmour Girls raise $1,188 during CIBC Run for the Cure Walk

By Mike Riley

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A group of women from Tudor and Cashel Township took part in the CIBC Run for the Cure, doing a five-kilometre walk on Oct. 1. Calling themselves “The Gilmour Girls,” these ladies, organized by Keitha McNeil, raised $1,188 for this worthy cause. Tudor and Cashel Councillor Elain Holloway and McNeil comment to Bancroft This Week on their successful walk/run to find a cure for breast cancer.

In addition to McNeil, “The Gilmour Girls” included Judy Bruce, Lisa Kemp, Raquel Maset, Noelle Crasto, Mallory Lang, Bev Creighton, and Dianne Priebe. Also joining the ladies on Oct. 1 for their five-kilometre walk were Robert Chaffie, Holloway, and Nelson and Ruth Gray. Katie's Rustic Décor in Frankford donated “The Gilmour Girls” T-shirts to the team. McNeil says that the owner of Katie's Rustic Décor is the niece of one of her friends (Lisa Kemp) who walked with them, which was how they got involved.

The CIBC Run for the Cure brings together Canadians who collectively run or walk to fund groundbreaking research into breast cancer that will help people survive and live beyond cancer, shape health policies to prevent breast cancer and support Canadians who have been diagnosed, and provide a national support system so nobody has to cope with breast cancer alone. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, to date, the CIBC Run for the Cure has raised approximately $14.5 million toward this cause.

McNeil says that she organized the walk as her mother-in-law Cynthia was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, but fortunately, they detected it early and were able to treat it. She says her aunt Yvonne also has breast cancer.

“Breast cancer touched the lives of our family so doing something to help made sense. I was looking to do an event this year and the closest one was Kingston or Oshawa, which was too far. That inspired me to organize my own and then I reached out to my friends, who helped bring it all together,” she says.

McNeil says this year's walk didn't take much time to organize, and that she and a couple of friends got together over a glass of wine and planned it out. She says she registered their team and two weeks later they did the walk. Last year, she says she partook in the Blue Mountain event, which was her first.

“We got together with my kids, my mother-in-law, a couple of friends, my mom, my sister and niece, and my aunt. This year was the first Gilmour Girls walk though,” she says.

Holloway says she felt very privileged to be able to accompany McNeil and “The Gilmour Girls” on their CIBC Run for the Cure Walk.

“My motivation was largely about the cause, however, within my own family we are fortunate to have a number of cancer survivors and lost one aunt to lung cancer a couple of years ago,” she says.

McNeil told Bancroft This Week that next year, they hope to get more Gilmour Girls out on the walk.

“Men are of course welcome too. Together we can find a cure,” she says. “We would also like to thank Councillor Elain Holloway and the Township of Tudor and Cashel for all their support.”