A 6-year-old suffering from a degenerative muscular disease got a special gift from her entire school Wednesday afternoon. Students from G.R. Whitfield in the Pitt County town of Grimesland raised money and awareness of muscular dystrophy by

 walking.

Emma Shifflett is a first grader with spinal muscular atrophy. She and her family plan to walk in the M.D.A. Walk in Wilmington next week. Her classmates say they wanted to do something special to help her raise money, but couldn't make the trip. So the school organzied their own mini walk-a-thon, inviting Emma's mother Brandy to see what they've accomplished.

"I was overwhelmed by the help from the school, I mean, just everybody came together to help Emma, " said Brandy Shifflet.

The school raised more than $800 for Emma with Wednesday's mini-walk-a thon.