13th Annual Walk Benefits Kane Residents

Registration begins at 8 a.m., walk sets off at 9:30

By Submitted Report
The Tube City Almanac
September 13, 2024
Posted in: Announcements

Walkers set off from Kane McKeesport during a Joan Burns Fun Walk 4 Kane several years ago. (Photo courtesy Janet Kulis)

Family members and friends of residents at McKeesport’s Kane Regional Center will hold their 13th annual walk on Saturday to benefit programs at the assisted-living facility.

Registration for the 13th Annual Joan Burns Kane Foundation Fun Walk 4 Kane begins at 8 a.m. Sept. 14 at Kane McKeesport, 100 Ninth Ave., a spokesperson said. The walk begins at 9:30 a.m. with a picnic immediately following the event. 

The registration fee is $25 and the first 100 people receive a free T-shirt. Prizes will be distributed and the picnic will include grilled picnic food, snacks, dessert, music and karaoke. For more information, visit the website.

Participants are encouraged to ask friends, family, neighbors or co-workers to sponsor walkers so that Kane residents may benefit, the spokesperson added.

The registration fee is waived for those who secure $50 or more in pledges.

The walk is dedicated to the memory of the late Joan Burns, a long-time Kane volunteer and educator with the McKeesport Area School District.

Burns, along with her cousin, Janet Kulis, co-founded the Kane McKeesport Family Council in 2009 to support and encourage families and residents giving them a voice to make positive change.

Kulis said this year’s walk is also a memorial to William “Bill” Lalonde, Kane Community Outreach Representative, who passed away Aug. 17, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Bill worked for many years on all the Kane Foundation fundraising events, Kulis said, including the walk since its inception. The commemorative T-shirts created for this year’s walk are purple to increase awareness of pancreatic cancer, she said.

Proceeds benefit The Kane Foundation, which raises private funds through events such as the walk to help enhance the quality of life for Kane residents and their families. Money raised helps to ensure residents have access to adult education classes, sporting events, holiday parties, trips to museums, shows, shopping, restaurants, pet therapy and more.

“Kane residents love to participate at the walk,” Kulis said. “It is a social event for them where they get to see old friends and meet new people, which keeps them involved in the community. It is surprising to see so many people from the McKeesport area come to the walk to help support the residents and the Kane Community Center by giving their time and energy. Their participation each year has been a true blessing to the residents.”

Participants in this year’s event are being encouraged to look at a new built-in water feature at the front entrance of Kane McKeesport, complete with fish, frogs and water flora. The improvements were purchased with funds from the Kane Foundation, Kulis said.

McKeesport is one of the four Kane Community Living Centers in Allegheny County, which also are located in Pittsburgh’s Glen-Hazel neighborhood, Scott Twp. and Ross Twp.. The county-owned centers provide nursing and rehabilitation services for elderly people and adults.

Originally published September 13, 2024.

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