Based out of Pangburn, Arkansas, Fight Like a Kid is a nonprofit organization that funds trips to children battling cancer. They often work through the Make-A-Wish Foundation to sponsor trips for their “wish kids” to places like Disney World, Sea World, Hawaii, and even the Frontier Days Rodeo in Wyoming.
The organization was founded in 2013 after Kara Moorehead’s daughter, Mati, was diagnosed with cancer. Mati was only two years old, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation only sponsors trips for children over the age of two. Moorehead saw a problem and began a more inclusive organization to sponsor trips for children of all ages fighting cancer. These trips provide an opportunity for the “wish kids” and their families to leave the hospital and have fun spending time together without worry. Fight Like a Kid hosts the annual Price Hancock Memorial Barrel Race in Stuttgart. It is named after Price Hancock, a barrel racing “wish kid” who relapsed shortly after returning from the cruise he and his family went on as their Make-A-Wish trip. It is in mid-May every year and held at the Cross B Arena thanks to the selfless support of the Boling family. The foundation is also in the process of organizing a scholarship for the children who have been affected by childhood cancer and their siblings. For more information, visit the Fight Like a Kid website or Facebook page.
As the annual Battle of the Little Red football game approaches, so does the outpouring of local support in both Clinton and Heber Springs. This celebration of healthy rivalry is an opportunity to show not only school spirit but generosity as well. In years prior, the communities have raised money and taken donations for The Call and Pack-a-Backpack. This year, they have provided for these two organizations as well as Fight Like a Kid. Since it is a nonprofit organization, the “wish trips” are funded solely through donations and fundraisers.
Last year, the additional fundraiser for the Battle of the Little Red was “Dollars for Devon” to pay for the medical expenses of a beloved community member, Devon Wooten. His recent passing has made Clinton and the surrounding Greers Ferry Lake area all too aware of the struggle of watching someone battle childhood cancer. Fight Like a Kid sponsored a wish trip for the Wooten family to the Lego Discovery Center in Atlanta, Georgia. When asked what the support of the Van Buren County community meant to her, Sarah Wooten, Devon’s mother, said:
I can’t say enough about Clinton/Van Buren County & surrounding communities on how much they mean to our family. When Devon got diagnosed for the 3rd time in July of 2018, we knew we had a battle. The people battled with us. Their support helped us carry on with each obstacle we were facing. I will always be grateful for the folks that prayed, loved, donated or gave in other ways. We got in contact with Fight Like A Kid by chance. We were eating at a restaurant in Little Rock after one of Devon’s doctor appointments. It was September 2018. Devon obviously [had] a scar showing from surgery. We were fixing to leave & man stopped us & asked what happen. We told him & then he asked if he’s ever had a wish granted. The man was a volunteer for Fight Like A Kid. He took our information because he wanted to help. Things just worked out from there. God placed us at the right time. Fight Like A Kid supports & sponsors Make A Wish. They were so easy to work with. [We are s]o thankful & appreciative of their willingness to want to help do something for Devon.

The donations to Fight Like a Kid will be saved until another child in the Greers Ferry Lake area is diagnosed with cancer, and used to provide them with a trip to the destination of their choice. This year, between both Clinton and Heber Springs, the total amount raised was over $9,700. Both communities have been impacted by childhood cancer, and by coming together and raising money, a child in the Greers Ferry Lake area will be provided with his or her wish trip. In the words of Moorehead herself, “[You] are why we get to keep doing what we do!”