Amazing Kilkenny schoolgirls clean up town in fight against cancer

Two Kilkenny schoolgirls are going above and beyond in an effort to tackle two scourges on society in just one blow.

Annamaria (11) and Sara Ventimiglia (9), from Callan, are on a daily grind of picking up rubbish in their community in order to raise money for the Irish Cancer Society.

And they’re not alone: the brilliant idea by the two go-getting girls who attend Bunscoil McAuley Rice in Callan has encouraged many of their friends to join in their quest.

Annamaria and Sara’s mother Paulina said it is not the first time the sister act have fought for causes they believe in.

The proud mother told KilkennyNow.ie: “Last year during the lockdown, Annamaria and Sara started a fundraiser in order to support WWF in their fight for the survival of endangered species.

“They did 30 minutes of litter picking around the town of Callan every day for a month. They did an amazing job that did not go unnoticed. There were some amazing comments and support from people in Callan and beyond.”

This year, Paulina said, the girls decided to start a fundraiser in aid of the Irish Cancer Society. Once again, they are doing 30 minutes of litter-picking per day around their home town.

Paulina added: “They started last Monday, April 19 and will continue to clean-up Callan until Monday, May 3.

“The fundraiser is called Clean Callan and the girls hope that by cleaning our lovely town they will be able to raise funds to fight Cancer and help people and their families through this difficult time.”

Donations to the girl’s campaign can be made at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cleancallan