Local foundation Beats & Rhythms is sponsoring the 2008 Walk ‘N’ Rock, a two-part event on May 10 to help raise awareness and funding for congenital heart disease. The foundation provides support services for local children affected with congenital heart disease through art and music programs. There are 40,000 children born each year with the condition and 3,000 of those kids are right here in Eastern Washington.

Event details:

The “Walk” part of the program begins at 10:00 am in Riverfront Park, Spokane, Wash. Registration opens at 9:00 am. The Walk benefits the American Heart Association’s (AHA) annual effort to raise awareness. The Walk is free, however donations to the AHA and a $10 Beats & Rhythms’ team t-shirt purchase are encouraged. The Walk includes a one mile and a three mile track. The foundation is seeking 250 people to join in and raise $2,500.

The “Rock” part of the program begins at 5:30 pm at the Big Easy Concert House in downtown Spokane to help raise funding for Beats & Rhythms programs.

Tickets are available at Used & Abused Clothing on Wellesley Ave directly across the street from Northtown Mall and at the Insyders Entertainment kiosk inside the mall by the Cricket Store and Hot Topic and close to the escalators leading up to the food court. The kiosk will soon feature a video PSA of some of the foundation’s kids with songs from local bands. Insyder Entertainment sells CDs produced by local artists. Tickets are also available from Tickets West, the bands or from any of the foundation’s volunteers. The rock event is $10 with advance purchase or $12 on the day of the event.

Anyone wanting to show their support for congenital heart disease patients is encouraged to join in the festivities. Bands scheduled to play at the event are London Get Down, Sweet Hollow, The Let Up, International Heroes and The Jonnyforest. Sweet Hollow recorded a special song for the event which is available on their MySpace page.

There will also be a raffle for $5 per ticket. Prizes include gift certificates for local restaurants, Starbucks coffee, a pair of weekend passes to the Lilac City Tattoo Convention, free entrees at Anthony’s Home Port, 30 gift certificates for The Mustard Seed and a guitar autographed by Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge. Additional prizes to be announced later. Must be present to win. Sponsorship packages and reserved seating are available directly through Beats & Rhythms.

The foundation’s video PSA:

Looking forward:

In June, Beats & Rhythms will be offering the first medically supervised summer camp in the Northwest specially developed for kids with congenital heart disease. Contact the foundation for details.