10/24: New River Valley Heart Walk

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va., Oct. 21, 2026 – As part of a fall tradition, the American Heart Association is excited to join with local businesses and community teams for the return of the New River Valley Heart Walk, happening this Saturday, Oct. 24, at Christiansburg Huckleberry Park. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m., with the walk starting at 9:45 a.m. Funds raised from the event will help fight the No. 1 and No. 4 killers of Americans, heart disease and stroke. This year’s walk co-chairs are Scott Blankenship and Holly Neel with Carilion Clinic. WDBJ 7 News’ Caroline Metheny will serve as emcee.

“We are so excited to see the New River Valley once again join in this fight, as so many of us in the region have been impacted by heart disease and stroke,” said Christie Steele-Garcia, development director for the American Heart Association. “We love seeing all the smiling faces of our community teams, volunteers, sponsors and, of course, our survivors.”

The morning will have many engaging experiences to offer attendees, including local survivor recognition, Hands-Only CPR demonstrations, the Pup Parade, and balloon animals and face painting.

Area sponsors include Carilion Clinic, Carilion New River Valley Medical Center, LewisGale Pulaski Hospital, LewisGale Montgomery Hospital, InMotion, HCA Capital Division, and VCOM. WDBJ 7, Lamar Outdoor and Q99 FM are the media supporters of the event.

“We can’t say thanks enough to our sponsors and community partners,” added Steele-Garcia. “They continue to make this Heart Walk a success, and without them, our mission to save lives couldn’t happen.”

Steele-Garcia reminds attendees to look for survivors wearing their special red caps (heart survivors) and white caps (stroke survivors). “If you want to know why you help, just look at our red-cap and white-cap survivors,” she said. “They are all the motivation you need.”