By KYLE LUTZ

WHEELING — Kalkreuth Roofing and Sheet Metal has been sponsoring events around the Ohio Valley for many years. The Debbie Green Memorial 5K Run/Walk for Leukemia is next on its list. Kalkreuth, however, for the past three years, has been the title sponsor for the annual event that is going into its 20th year.

Being part of the Debbie Green 5K is exciting because it’s such a well-respected and well-run event in Wheeling,î Kalkreuth marketing director Paul Orbin said. It’s exciting to be a part of it. I think with this going on 20 years goes to show how well-run of an event it is. Ron Green is a great spokesman for childhood cancer and being associated with a guy like him and an event like this just goes hand-in-hand with what Kalkreuth wants to help support in the community.î

The race has about 97 total sponsors supporting the event, and while Kalkreuth is the top sponsor, the company isn’t just putting its name out there. Employees of the company and members of their families will also participate in the event. According to Orbin, over 50 will be running or walking.

“First of all, we pulled together, we call it ‘Team Kalkreuth’ and we’ll have over 50 employees and their family members racing,” Orbin said. “We’ve had a sizable participation in our first two years and that’s holding true for this third one. It’s a good health awareness internally as a company. It gets people out, it gets people moving and it’s for a great cause.”

When it comes to sponsoring, Kalkreuth’s objective is not just to get its name out there — and one will see many events around the local area with its name on it — it also wants to help the people of the community.

“Kalkreuth Roofing’s goal is to be a good community partner,” Orbin said. “I think that’s evident in a lot of the sponsorships and the involvement locally that you see the Kalkreuth name.”

Kalkreuth Roofing and Sheet Metal is a top 10 roofing contractor in the United States and has five office locations around the country including Wheeling; Frederick, Md.; Columbus, Ohio, Lexington, Ky. and Pittsburgh.

“They’re just phenomenal to work with,” Green said. “They’re really interested in helping these kids out that has cancer in the valley. It means a lot to them to be involved in it. They’re employees are involved in it. It’s not just a financial contribution. They usually get anywhere up to 60 employees to do the race each year. They’re just great people to deal with. If I need something, I call them and we work together and it’s a great relationship.”