Henrik G. de Gyor/The Gazette Bryan Moritt, 7, of Germantown, who collected $165 worth of pledges, hands an envelope with the funds to Vicki Buck, 19, the pool's manager.

According to Scott Vincent, president of RSV Pools, a pool management firm, swimmers have been soliciting pledges for the number of laps they hope to complete during six two-hour swimming sessions, the first of which took place Monday at Northlake Village community pool No. 1 in Germantown.

More than 30 swimmers came together for the event, including Bryan Moritt, 7, of Germantown who collected $165 worth of pledges.

"I feel really good," he said. "I'm swimming hard for a great cause."

Penny German, 41, of Germantown kept a tally of how many laps a number of swimmers, including her daughter, Megan, were able to complete during the evening.

"I think that it is great that kids are doing this for others," she said. "It's one of the best things that they can do. ... I hope that with the money that is raised, it is possible to learn more about lupus and help people who have the disease."

By the end of the evening, approximately 1,000 laps were swam, 55 of which were completed by Cayley Wrenn, 12, of Germantown.

"It's a lot of fun," she said. "I am able to swim and help people at the same time. ... I hope that a lot of swimmers show up at the other pools later this week as well."

Other swim sessions, all of which are open to the general public, will take place today from 2-4 p.m. at Flower Hill Community Pool, 8100 Mountain Laurel Lane, Gaithersburg, where a lifeguard was recently diagnosed with the disease; Thursday from 3-5 p.m. at Waters Landing Community Pool B, 13501 Waters Landing Drive, Germantown; Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at Lake Hallowell Swim Club, 2100 Petersfield Place, Olney; Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at Waters Landing Community Pool A, 20000 Father Hurley Boulevard, Germantown; and Friday from 5-7 p.m. at Kingsview Village pool, 13901 Coachman Circle, Germantown.

After the sessions, participants will collect money from those people who made pledges. The money will then be donated to the Lupus Foundation of America, which has its national headquarters in Rockville.

The Lupus Foundation was established in 1977 and focuses on educating people about lupus.

"There are not many resources out there to teach people about lupus and what it can do," said Duane Peters, vice president for advocacy and communication at the foundation. "We have a strong support system at the foundation."

Lupus is a chronic illness where the immune system attacks normal tissue. The attack results in inflammation and can bring about symptoms such as achy joints, high fever, arthritis, skin rashes and anemia.

There is no known cause for lupus, however scientists believe that there is a genetic predisposition to the disease. Furthermore, it is known that environmental factors such as infections, antibiotics, ultraviolet light and extreme stress play a critical role in triggering lupus.

The Lupus Foundation estimates that as many as 4,000 Montgomery County residents may have some form of lupus. Ninety percent of people with lupus are women and it is more prevalent among people of color.