THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!  Watch your email and this website for updates for next year's walk.


October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and West Virginia communities are walking to bring awareness about the disease to the mountain state. The Mountains of Hope Cancer Coalition, its partners and volunteers are sponsoring twenty regional Walk for Women. . .take a step against breast cancer events. The Walk is intended to raise awareness about the need for breast cancer screening, to honor breast cancer survivors and to remember those who have fought and lost the battle of breast cancer.

The Huntington Walk for Women is scheduled for Sunday, October 28, at Ritter Park. Registration begins at 12:30 and the Walk will start at 2 pm. The Walk will begin near the Ritter Park shelter, walk through the park along the pathway to the Memorial Arch and return to the shelter. The Walk will raise money, through donations from individuals and corporate sponsors, to benefit the WV Breast and Cervical Cancer Diagnostic and Treatment Fund.

The Fund, created by the 1996 WV Legislature, helps pay for diagnostic and treatment services for uninsured women throughout West Virginia who may not otherwise be able to afford the services. The Legislature allows Mountains of Hope to raise money, through donations, to increase the amount of the Fund. Increasing the Fund allows more women in our state to access the services. The WV Bureau for Public Health administers the Fund. Every dollar raised by the Walk for Women is placed into the Fund. Individual and corporate tax deductible contributions are accepted through the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation.

The goal of Breast Cancer Awareness Month is to increase awareness of the importance of early detection of breast cancer. First, women may perform a breast self-exam every month. Second, they should have a doctor or nurse check their breasts every year. Finally, they should have regular screening mammograms. Women age 50 and older should have a screening mammogram annually.

The WV Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program offers free or low-cost mammograms, breast exams and Pap tests to women who meet age and income guidelines. For more information about the screening program or the Walk for Women, please call 304-638-3618.