Van Nuys : Walk to Benefit Crisis Pregnancy Center

About 1,200 people are expected at a 10th annual “Walk for Life” Saturday, beginning in Woodley Park.

The walk benefits the Crisis Pregnancy Center of the San Fernando Valley, a nonprofit nondenominational Christian group that educates women about options for unplanned pregnancies, according to a center spokesman.

The group and the march stand for peaceable alternatives rather than political agendas, said director David Pollock.

“The walk is a fund-raiser,” he said. “We’re not carrying signs. We’re not demonstrating. . . . We don’t recommend candidates.”

County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and pastors from more than 20 Valley churches are expected to attend the walk for the 4-year-old center. Previous walks benefited other antiabortion counseling groups.

Last year, more than 3,000 women called the Crisis Pregnancy Center’s hotline; 300 of them made appointments for counseling, Pollock said.

The group--while it does espouse an anti-abortion viewpoint--tells women all of their options, including abortion, he added. “We don’t beat the women over the head and say abortion is wrong.”

Registration for either the 2 1/2- or 5-mile walk begins at 8:15 a.m. at Woodley Park, 6350 Woodley Ave. There will be children’s activities and a picnic between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Registration on the day of the walk is $5.

For information, call (818) 830-2499.