This weekend thousands of people across the nation will walk in support for The March of Dimes in the Walk America fundraiser.

Twenty-two cities across Indiana will participate in the fundraising event.

The March of Dimes is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health of babies by reducing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

In Lake County, the walk is at Highland High School. In Porter County, the event is at Valparaiso's David A. Butterfield Pavilion (located at the former Porter County Fairgrounds) at the intersection of Calumet and Evans.

Both events are nine-mile walks with a 10 a.m. start. The routes will take participants through the communities surrounding the host sites and will feature a variety of family entertainment, music and a free lunch for walkers.

"For the state, our goal is to make $2.9 million and the Lake County and Porter County events are a couple of the largest events we have in the state. I think they are only trailing Indianapolis, I believe," said Tim Arndt, senior state director of communications for the Indiana March of Dimes.

Sandy Storey, division director for the March of Dimes in Northwest Indiana, is proud of the success that the Lake and Porter County walks have had in the past.

"This year our goal is to raise more than $200,000," Storey said.

The majority of walkers are members of teams that have raised money on behalf of the March of Dimes in the form of donations or pledges. Teams and individuals can sign up to walk at either Lake or Porter County walks the day of the events. The minimum donation being asked for individual walkers is $25.

"We are not United Way funded or anything like that," said Storey, on the importance of the annual Walk America event to the March of Dimes. "We get no government funding. We are really grassroots and if you look at the things we have been a part of, from polio vaccines to PKU tests, everyone has been affected by us."

For more information on the March of Dimes log on to: http://www.marchofdimes.com/