GUILFORD – Volunteers of all of ages were on their knees here Saturday planting one pink tulip at a time to cure breast cancer.

The Guilford Garden Club ordered 1,600 pink tulips. Of those, 900 were planted Saturday in public gardens throughout town. The remainder were planted by residents in private gardens.

Pink tulips also were planted in Greenville, Dover-Foxcroft and Milo.

In conjunction with the planting in Guilford spearheaded by Dodie Curtis, more than $2,000 was raised for the Maine Cancer Foundation’s Women’s Cancer Fund.

Curtis, who saw a display about the pink tulip project at the Bangor Garden Show, picked up a flier and presented it to garden club members. Like Curtis, who has a relative battling breast cancer and a close friend who has been diagnosed with lung cancer, club members were acquainted with people affected by the disease and wanted to help.

Among the 27 volunteers who helped plant Saturday were members of Junior Girl Scout Troop 870 who were working on their bronze awards.

“This was very important to me because I know a girl that has an inoperable brain tumor,” Girl Scout Chelsea Nichols, 11, said Saturday, as she planted tulips at Guilford Memorial Library. “The doctors gave her 10 months to live, and she’s working on her sixth year.”

Those who gave donations in memory of friends and family affected by cancer or whose lives were lost to the disease will be remembered during a ceremony in the spring, Curtis said.

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