Young people can do something positive for themselves and those with diabetes Saturday at Missouri's first Diabetes Youth Walk, which will be held at Cape County Park North.

"Youth walks are just beginning to catch on," said Justin Gibbs, the Jackson Junior High eighth-grader who is chairman for the walk. "This will be the fifth youth walk for diabetes in the country and the first in Missouri."

The walk is open to kindergarten through 12th-grade students from throughout Southeast Missouri. They collect donations prior to the walk, turn them in Saturday, then walk three miles. The event, with the theme "Walk in Our Shoes," will begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

"To keep things simple, we ask that all money be turned in the day of the walk," Gibbs said.

More than 200 students have signed up so far, and Gibbs expects that number to grow by Saturday.

"Youths get a bad rap for school shootings and drugs and other things," Gibbs said. "I wanted to do something that would bring young people some positive publicity."

Gibbs doesn't have diabetes himself, but he knows people who have the disease and wants to see more money raised to fund research for a cure.

"The government spends six times more on AIDS and breast cancer research than diabetes yet diabetes kills four times as many Americans as AIDS and breast cancer combined," Gibbs said.

All the money raised at Saturday's walk will go to diabetes research through the National Diabetes Association.

As an incentive for school groups to participate, schools that raise $500 to $1,499 get a sporting goods gift certificate for 5 percent of what they raise, schools that raise $1,500 to $2,999 get a sporting goods gift certificate for 10 percent of what they raise and schools that raise $3,000 or more get a sporting goods gift certificate for 15 percent of what they raise.

For more information on or to sign up for the Diabetes Youth Walk, call Gibbs at 243-8223.