New London - A Waterford family is hosting an event next month to bring the community together to promote hope and support for two local girls fighting cancer.

On the afternoon of Jan. 11, participants will gather in a large space at Connecticut College to engage in exercises led by a master teacher of tai chi and qi gong, as a fundraiser for the girls' families.

All donations from the hour-long workshop will benefit Madeline Guarraia, an 8-year-old who attends the Lillie B. Haynes School in East Lyme, and Alicia Hensley, a seventh-grader at Clark Lane Middle School in Waterford.

"It will be a great opportunity for communities to come together for a common cause," said Debbie Piacenza, the office manager at Eagle's Quest Tai Chi Center. She is organizing the event with David Chandler, her husband and the center's director, who teaches classes around the state, including in New London and Norwich.

At the event, Chandler will lead attendees through Walking qi gong, also called guo lin qi gong, a practice that involves walking and breathing exercises. The event is open to all ages and people are asked to donate what they can.

Chandler and Piacenza were inspired to organize the community workshop and mobilize their networks after learning about the two families.

Their daughter, Amy Piacenza, an intern at Quaker Hill Elementary School in Waterford, knows Madeline's father, Matthew Guarraia, a teacher. They later learned about Hensley, another local girl with cancer that the Waterford community was embracing.

Piacenza, a registered nurse, said she hopes people will help in the spirit of Madeline and Alicia and their families - as well as come together as a community.

"We can offer an opportunity to not only support the girls and their families, but also the community," she said.

She said cancer has touched many people's lives in some way - either by having it themselves or knowing someone who has it.

Piacenza said the event is also a chance for participants to learn the exercise of qi gong, a practice traditionally considered to have healing properties in China.

At the event, Chandler will outline a brief history of the exercise before leading attendees through the practices. Qi gong was first practiced in China by Guo Lin, who used it in conjunction with other treatments for cancer, according to websites on the practice.

The workshop is open to all, including children, and organizers hope families will participate. For children who do not want to participate or for very young children, there will be childcare available near the event room.

Independent of the event, there have also been online fundraisers set up for Madeline Guarraia at http://www.gofundme.com/

iifxak and Alicia Hensley at http://www.gofundme.com/iw8ytc.

k.drelich@theday.com

Twitter: @KimberlyDrelich

IF YOU GO

What: Fundraiser to support two young girls who are battling cancer.

When: 2 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 11

Where: The 1962 Room at the College Center at Crozier-Williams, Connecticut College, Mohegan Ave.

Cost: By donation, accepted at the door.

More information is available by visiting www.eaglesquesttaichi.com or by contacting office@eaglesquesttaichi.com or (860) 442-9462. Parking is available at the college. The event will be rescheduled in the event of severe inclement weather.