Sign-ups are still underway for the Brentwood Lions Club’s second annual Strides Lions Walk For Diabetes Awareness, another of the organization’s many charitable efforts. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 24.

Last year’s Walk raised more than $3,000 for the Diabetes Society’s education camps for children coping with Type I Diabetes. Using last year’s funds, the club was able to send six East County children to camp, where they learned how to manage their disease and make healthy lifestyle choices.

“These camps help children cope with this disease,” said Brentwood Lions President Fred Ginsler. “At camp, these kids get to have fun and be out in nature, and they get to chance to meet other kids with diabetes. They get to be surrounded by kids who understand what they’re going through. It’s a really meaningful experience, especially for children who have been recently diagnosed.”

The event kicks off at 8 a.m. at Creekside Park on Claremont Drive in Brentwood. Participants will walk along Marsh Creek Trail to Veterans Park and then circle back to Creekside Park. The event concludes with raffle and an information fair, where participants may obtain health screenings. Festivities continue through 2 p.m.

According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, approximately 15,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with Type I Diabetes each year. Type I Diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas that regulate blood sugar levels. As a result, people with the disease must monitor their blood sugar levels constantly and take multiple insulin shots every day to keep their body in balance. There is no cure for diabetes, and scientists are still unsure of the exact cause of the disease, despite discovering its genetic and environmental triggers. If unmanaged, diabetes can lead to blindness, nerve damage and heart disease.

Registration for the Strides Lions Walk For Diabetes Awareness is $35 for individuals and $100 for a team. Participants are encouraged to collect donations. Prizes will be awarded to the individual and team that collect the most money and the individual and team that walk the most miles. There is also a contest for the most creative team T-shirt.

For more information, call Ginsler at 925-642-2825 or e-mail fginsler@gmail.com.