Walk will benefit area residents
WELLSBURG — Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2007, a Wellsburg woman has channeled her energy into helping others with neurological diseases with the help of her family and many friends.
Named for Kim Chapline-Byers, Kim’s Walk for Neurological Diseases will be held Nov. 6 inside Brooke High School, with proceeds going to Doug Bennington of Mingo Junction, who has multiple sclerosis; and Mary Scott of Toronto, who has Lou Gehrig’s disease; and for scholarships for high school students with a family member with a neurological disease.
“Kim takes no money from the walk. A lot of people don’t realize that,” said Robin Snyder, who is one of several friends on the event’s planning committee.
She noted attendees sometimes are surprised by the number of participants, which usually is about 100 including those coping with neurological diseases, family members and friends. Those who are ill walk or are pushed in wheelchairs.
Snyder noted Chapline-Byers launched the walk initially to help others with MS, then expanded it in recent years to include others with similar disorders and raise scholarship funds for Brooke graduates affected by them.
The beneficiary of last year’s walk met both criteria. Hope Beatty, a 2016 Brooke graduate who has spina bifida, was presented a $500 scholarship by the group.
Snyder said the group will continue to seek others who may benefit from the walk.
The walk is held indoors each year because people with neurological diseases often are impacted by excess cold or heat.
Registration will begin at 2 p.m., with the walk set to occur in the high school’s halls from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. The registration fee is $10 per person.
A dinner, supplied by an anonymous donor, will follow the walk at 4:15 p.m. Attendees also may browse through tables manned by more than a dozen craft and other vendors in the school’s halls.
Snyder said Kim and her committee are very appreciative of the support the walk has received from the community.
That support has included The Driftin’ Hoopie Experience, a local country band who performed for a fundraising concert in August; Lester Bradley, owner of The Crooked Dock, which hosted the concert; and an anonymous donor who helped to offset the band’s expenses.
The walk is a grassroots event thrown by friends and family, including Chapline-Byers’ husband Gary and sons, Jacob and Levi, who often recruit fellow students to help.
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