Amris Bedford, a 2-year-old, blue-eyed little girl, has more than 8,600 likes on a Facebook page created for her.

On the page dubbed ‘Love and Prayers for Amris,’ prayers and kind words constantly stream in for the doe-eyed wonder who has been diagnosed with Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor, a rare type of brain cancer usually found in children.

The cause is what drew Brook Lee Smith, one of the coordinators for the upcoming Rootin’ Tootin’ 5K walk and run at Serenbe in the young girl’s honor.

Smith works with Karen Renfroe, another one of the coordinators of the event, and saw Renfroe’s post on the page appear on her newsfeed.

“I started following [Amris] and I noticed people were doing really small things to fundraise,” Smith said. “I got into a conversation with her cousin, Amie Bedford on Facebook. I run a lot of races and asked her if anyone had thought about doing a 5K or a virtual race.”

Smith knew that the 5K would yield more money raised for the Bedford family to defray expenses while Amris undergoes treatment at St. Jude Children’s Hospital, so the trail race was selected.

The theme of the trail run, a western spin, is due in large part to Amris’ love of her cowboy boots.

Rootin’ Tootin’ Roundup 5K trail run and walk is slated for Oct. 27 at The Serenbe Community at 7 a.m.

The Serenbe Community is at 9110 Selbourne Lane in Palmetto.

Race registration is $25 for adults and children until Oct. 12.

For Smith, the cause of the run hits home and is the reason she thinks that residents should participate and show their support.

“People just need to be aware that cancer is just not affecting adults but it happens with children as well,” she said. “Once your family has been affected by cancer, it triggers your own personal story. I think it may make someone feel better to give back towards something they may have gone through themselves.”