A police escort stopped traffic as the students of St. Peter Claver Regional School stepped off on their 1.6-mile Walk for Diabetes on Thursday, April 29. Students, faculty, staff and parent volunteers raised money for this worthy cause for several weeks leading up to the walk. Ninety-four percent of the student body took part in the walk. The kindergarten and first-grade classes did a shorter walk around the school grounds with their teachers. The total financial contribution to diabetes research and education was $2,133.92.

Before the walk began, the school community heard from 10-year-old Morgan Chase, ambassador for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, about what it is like to live with juvenile diabetes. Morgan also read an original story she had written in which the heroine won $1 million dollars in the lottery and gave the money to the Diabetes Research Foundation who then discovered a cure for diabetes and helped all the children with juvenile diabetes. Jill Gonyea, public outreach chairperson of the foundation, also spoke to the students. After the assembly the students began their march.

Following the walk and lunch, the students moved to a health fair for the school and community organized by school nurse Pansy Jones. Hearing and vision screenings were performed by students in the nursing program at Georgia Perimeter College for all of the students; blood pressure and diabetes screenings were offered to adults from the school and surrounding community, and demonstrations on “Creating Healthy Snacks Without Using the Stove,” “Internet Safety” and “How to Enjoy Summer Activities at Your Local Public Library” were offered as well.