Upcoming Walks to Benefit Asthma, Alzheimer’s, Heart Research

cthomas@cnpapers.com

By stepping forward in September and October, area walkers can contribute to the research efforts, treatment and, perhaps ultimately, the cures for debilitating diseases of the lungs, heart and mind.

The American Lung Association of West Virginia’s annual “Blow the Whistle on Asthma” walk in Charleston is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10. It will begin at the State Capitol Complex at 10 a.m. Saturday, with registration getting underway at 9 a.m.

Individuals, families and businesses/corporations are encouraged to solicit sponsors and participate in the event.

According to Jama Burton, special events manager for the American Lung Association of West Virginia, Saturday’s walk will mark the fourth time the fund-raiser has taken place in the capital city.

“The first asthma walks were in the fall of 2001. Ten associations piloted the project and raised $585,000,” Burton said. “Today, the Charleston and Huntington walks are two of 180 American Lung Association Asthma Walk events involving 60,000 walkers nationwide and raising over $6 million to support asthma research and education programs.”

According to ALAWV statistics, West Virginia has one of the highest asthma rates in the nation. It affect more than 150,000 people across the state, including 35,000 middle and high school children.

“What many people don’t realize that is asthma is not just a ‘nuisance,’” said Burton. “Asthma is a serious, life-threatening disease that kills over 5,000 people a year.”

Burton added that Saturday’s fund-raiser will be a three-mile walk around the state Capitol grounds.

As well as the exercise and charitable benefits of the walk, participants who raise a minimum of $100 in sponsor pledges will receive an official “Blow the Whistle on Asthma” walk T-shirts. Other premiums, such as flashlights and umbrellas, will be available for those with larger pledge amounts.

The fund-raising goal for the 2005 Charleston walk is $15,000. Last week, the American Lung Association of West Virginia Web site reported that more than $12,000 has already been pledged toward that goal.

Glaxo Smith Kline and Toyota are the national sponsors for the annual asthma walks. Sponsors for the 2005 Charleston walk also include Baxter, ZLB Behring, Talecris, Jackson Kelly, CAMC, Loop Pharmacy and radio station Electric 102.7.

The Huntington asthma walk in Huntington is slated for Saturday, Sept. 24.

To register for either of these walks, to sponsor walkers or to obtain further information, visit www.alawv.org on line or telephone the American Lung Association of West Virginia’s Charleston office at 342-6600.

The state Capitol grounds will also serve as the site of the Greater Charleston Heart Walk, under the auspices of the American Heart Association.

Registration for the Greater Charleston Heart Walk will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24 at the state Capitol. The walk will start at 9:30 a.m.

A goal of $135,000 has been set for this year’s Heart Walk.

Walkers will depart from the Capitol and proceed along Kanawha Boulevard through the East End of Charleston for approximately three miles, said Kevin Pauley, the communications director for the American Heart Association of West Virginia.

For more information about the Greater Charleston Heart Walk, telephone 720-9001 or go on line to www.heartwalk.kintera.org/ charlestonwv.

The annual Memory Walk to benefit Alzheimer’s disease research will be conducted in Charleston in early October.

The Charleston event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 8, beginning at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences on Leon Sullivan Way in downtown Charleston. Registration will start at 9 a.m. at the Clay Center, with the walk to commence at 10 a.m.

“The general course is about three miles,” explained Jane Marks, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association West Virginia Chapter on Lee Street. “It will go through downtown Charleston, through the Town Center, down Capitol Street and through the Capitol Market. Local businesses have been wonderful about passing out discount coupons to walkers as they go by.”

Marks added that participants aren’t required to walk the entire three-mile course, either.

The 2005 Memory Walk will mark the 15th year it has been held in Charleston. The 2004 walk, Marks said, raised $85,000, and she hopes this year will be even more profitable for the association and its efforts to combat Alzheimer’s disease.

“Someone told us recently, ‘Well, Alzheimer’s not a real disease.’ We were quite taken aback by that statement. There are 42,000 families affected by Alzheimer’s who also would take exception to that. It’s been prediction that, in a few years, there will be 105,000 cases in West Virginia, because of our aging population. It affects many people.”

For more information about the fall Memory Walk in Charleston or to register in advance, telephone 343-2717 or 1-800-491-2717 or visit the Web site at www.wvalz.org, where registration is also available on line.

Memory Walks are also slated in downtown Oak Hill in Fayette County on Saturday, Sept. 10 and in Parkersburg at the city park on Saturday, Sept. 24.

To contact Clint Thomas, telephone 348-1232, fax 348-5133, write to 1001 Virginia St. East, Charleston, W.Va. 25301 or use e-mail.