PARKERSBURG — The Women’s Care Center raised $95,025 at its Walk for Life held Sunday at Parkersburg City Park.

There was a large turnout of people who had worked hard for the last month to raise funds through walk sponsors, organizers said in a press release.

People were encouraged to stretch their fundraising from $200, which earns a T-shirt, to $386, which is the approximate cost of an ultrasound. The walkers of all ages had a perfect day for a two-mile stroll around the park with temperatures in the mid-60s by walk time, organizers said.

The vision of Women’s Care Center is to be the first place women seek services for pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, pregnancy options education and STD testing and treatment.

The Walk for Life is held each year to raise financial support for the free medical services and resources provided to women in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

The support for the center was seen not only in the funds the walkers raised, but in the spirit of unity of so many churches banded together, organizers said. Local businesses underwrite the walk so all of the $95,025 raised will go to provide free services for patients.

Women’s Care Center Executive Director Janet Kimes reminded the crowd of recent positive outcomes at the center.

Kimes stressed the impact one person can have in the life of another.

Bethany Page came to publicly speak about the important part Women’s Care Center played in her family three years ago. She described the center as a safe place for her when she found out she was pregnant. She found strength in her faith and gained confidence as a mother through the mentoring provided by the staff.

The Escape Ministries, pastored by Eric Tucker, kept the walkers entertained and informed by serving as master of ceremonies for the event. Additional entertainment was provided by OVU Express, Porterfield Baptist praise team, and Jenny Williamson, staff nurse at Women’s Care Center.

Women’s Care Center is a Christian ministry with a passion to empower individuals to make healthy life choices through education and medical services, center officials said.

It provides comprehensive support to protect the lives of unborn children, offers support and healing to those who have had an abortion, promotes sexual abstinence until marriage, encourages healthy lifestyle behaviors that reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies, engages the community on the sanctity of human life, and shares the gospel of Jesus Christ, center officials said.

Women’s Care Center touched the lives of 3,772 women, teens and babies in the Mid-Ohio Valley in 2018, the press release said.

The walk, first started in 1996, continues to gain community support, the center said. Donations may still be given online at yourwcc.com or by mailing to P.O. Box 4765, Parkersburg, WV 26104.