More than 150 men, women and teenagers will gather at 10 a.m. for “AIDS Walk/Run Des Moines 2003” on Saturday.

“Last year we had 150 people sign up to participate the day of [the event], so I expect we will have between 300 and 400 people by Saturday,” said Frank Vaia, a client advocate and the special projects director of the AIDS Project of Central Iowa.

Those interested will be able to register at Des Moines University’s Academic Center the morning of the race. Participants can choose to run the 5K or walk the mile.

Last year the Walk/Run raised $15,000. This year, Vaia said he hopes to raise between $15,000 and $20,000.

The AIDS Project of Central Iowa has provided direct services to 800 clients since 1993. Some services include case management, client advocacy and emergency and prescription medication financial assistance.

The fund-raiser is organized by the AIDS Project of Central Iowa, partnering with MAC cosmetics.

Jen Karasek, retail manager of the MAC counter in the Younkers of Valley West Mall, said MAC raises money for AIDS worldwide, but the proceeds go to local area needs.

“We did our research and found that the AIDS Project of Central Iowa is the biggest organization in the state, and we thought they would be able to affect the most people, so we decided to work in partnership with them,” she said.

— Vicky Lio