Animal welfare is just one cause being highlighted by advocacy events this weekend in the Kanawha Valley.Photo byYerlin MatuonUnsplash

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. -- Those looking to give back to the community or support various causes will have plenty of opportunity to do so this weekend in the Kanawha Valley.

Several walks, a neighborhood clean-up and other awareness events have been announced in towns throughout the region. Here are just a few.

Alzheimer’s walk

Charleston’s GoMart Ballpark will host the annual Alzheimer’s Walk on Saturday. Participants hope to raise awareness about the disease through the event.

Money raised benefits the Alzheimer’s Association, a national research and advocacy organization. The nonprofit also has a local office on Charleston's West Side.

The annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s is “the world's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's care, support and research,” according to the Alzheimer’s Association’s website.

Saturday's event is expected to bring hundreds of people to the capital city. At the time of this writing, more than 500 participants had registered for the Oct. 26 walk, raising more than $71,000.

More information and a registration link are available online.

If you go: Walk to End Alzheimer’s, Saturday, Oct. 26, 8:30 a.m. registration, 9:30 a.m. opening ceremony. Go Mart Ball Park, 601 Morris St., Charleston.

Animal rescue run

A Kanawha Valley-based cat rescue will hold a two-mile walk and run on Oct. 21.

The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, a donation-funded charity that works to save unwanted, abused, and neglected cats and kittens, will hold their event in St. Albans on Saturday. The run and walk is sponsored by Best Electric, Kanawha Valley Veterinarian Emergency Hospital, and Affordable Contracting Solutions.

Money raised will help fund the organization’s programs, which include veterinary care, adoption and fostering services.

More information on Saturday’s Two Miler is available on Facebook.

If you go: Itty Bitty Kitty Committee Two Miler, Saturday, Oct. 26, 9 a.m. St. Albans Fire Department Central Station, 51 Sixth Ave., St Albans.

North Charleston community cleanup

Residents of the capital city’s North Charleston neighborhood will hold a community cleanup at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

The event, sponsored by the West Side Neighborhood Association, is open to “all residents who want to make our community a better place,” organizers said.

The cleanup starts at the North Charleston Community Center, 2009 Seventh Ave., and will continue throughout the neighborhood.

At noon, participants will regather at the community center for a free picnic-style lunch.

Anyone interested in helping with Saturday’s cleanup in North Charleston is asked to complete an online registration form.

More information is available on Facebook.

If you go: North Charleston Cleanup, Saturday, Oct. 26, 9 a.m. to noon. North Charleston Recreation Center, 2009 Seventh St., Charleston

Breast cancer awareness event

Breast cancer is the most common cancer faced by West Virginia women, according to information provided by the state DHHR’s Bureau for Public Health.

On Saturday, breast cancer survivors, patients and their supporters will hold an advocacy event in St. Albans.

Dubbed “Bras Across the Kanawha,” the event is sponsored by local radio station Rock 105 and the West Virginia Breast Health Initiative.

At 10 a.m. on Oct. 26, participants will gather at Moses Nissan in St. Albans.

“We will gather and make our way up the [Nitro-St. Albans] bridge to join the two communities,” event organizers said.

The symbolic affair is meant to show that no one battles breast cancer alone, officials said.

More information on Bras Across the Kanawha is available on Facebook.

If you go: Bras Across the Kanawha, Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m. Moses Nissan, 300 Maccorkle Ave., St Albans.

Mental health awareness walk

The Out of Darkness movement, which advocates for mental health awareness, began in 2024. An initiative of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the annual walk acts as a fundraiser and an advocacy project.

“These events give people the courage to open up about their own connections to the cause, and a platform to create a culture that’s smarter about mental health,” organizers said in a statement. “Friends, family members, neighbors and coworkers walk side-by-side, supporting each other and in memory of those we’ve lost.”

The local Out of Darkness Community Walk takes place on Saturday in Charleston. The walk begins at 11 a.m. at Haddad Riverfront Park along Kanawha Boulevard.

As of this writing, nearly $36,000 had been raised for Saturday’s event.

More information and details on how to register for the Oct. 26 walk are available online.

If you go: Out of Darkness Community Walk, Saturday, Oct. 26, 9 a.m. registration, 11 a.m. walk. Haddad Riverfront Park, Kanawha Boulevard, Charleston.

Michael Ramsburg is a Kanawha County communities reporter. He shares his work on NewsBreak and in the free weekday Kanawha Valley Update newsletter. He can be reached at ramsburgreports@gmail.com or by calling 304-370-3067.