When Shari Snyder Pollack threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Indians game against Cincinnati on April 6, she did it for more than a chance to show off her pitching arm. Pollack helped kick off activities for the Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland’s (DAGC) 26th Annual Swim for Diabetes by pitching in memory of her father, Bill Snyder. Snyder died in 2008 of complications from type 2 diabetes. Pollack’s appearance on the pitching mound also kicked off the Indians annual “Fill the House for Charity" community outreach program. DAGC received a portion of ticket proceeds from that night.
The Pollack family’s enthusiasm for Swim for Diabetes moved to one of the 47 pool locations throughout northeast Ohio during the event April 8, 9 and 10. Pollack served as a pool volunteer while her children, nine-year old Hannah and six-year old Ethan, swam laps in memory of their Papa Bill. Being a part of Swim for Diabetes is important to Pollack for many reasons. “Fighting diabetes is a personal battle for me,” she said. “Diabetes affected not only my father for so many years, but it had a large impact on those of us around him. It is vital that people learn how to avoid the risks of type 2 diabetes.”
One in 10 people in northeast Ohio has type 1 (formerly known as juvenile diabetes) or type 2 diabetes. Swim for Diabetes, the largest annual fundraiser for the Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland, raises awareness and funds to support those people in a variety of ways. One hundred percent of money raised from the Swim remains in northeast Ohio to provide free diabetes prevention and risk assessments, diabetes education programs as well as support to Camp Ho Mita Koda for children with diabetes. The honorary co-chairs for the 2011 Swim for Diabetes are Gold Medal Olympian Diana Munz and her coach, Jerry Holtrey.
Programs offered by the Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland, such as the DAGC Divas and the Diabetes Ambassadors corps, offer support and guidance to people in the Cleveland area affected by diabetes. This includes family members and friends, too. DAGC’s free community education programs and diabetes self-management classes teach people how healthy eating and regular exercise can help prevent type 2 diabetes.
Money raised by the Pollack family and hundreds of other Swim for Diabetes participants also helps support Camp Ho Mita Koda in Newbury, one of the oldest residential camps for children with diabetes in the country. Summer camp sessions as well as programs held throughout the year teach children and teenagers with diabetes how to live well with the disease.
And living well is a key to controlling diabetes. Shari Pollack changed her lifestyle not long after her father died. “Besides my father, several of my family members have diabetes,” she said. “I developed gestational diabetes during my pregnancies, so I knew that I had to change the way I lived in order to stay healthy in the future.” Pollack exercises at least four days a week and has changed her eating habits. Though she made these changes for herself, she also is establishing positive habits for her children to model. Her daughter Hannah was the one who begged her mother last year for permission to participate in the Swim. “Swimming for a cause like this one connects Hannah and Ethan to their grandfather as well as teaches them the importance of exercise and community service.”
Since 1954, the Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland has been the local and independent nonprofit agency dedicated to supporting those with diabetes in northeast Ohio. It is not affiliated with any national organizations. The Swim for Diabetes as well as DAGC’s other popular annual fundraisers, Promenade and Backpack Bivouac, helps ensure that Greater Clevelanders affected by diabetes have the support they need to live well with the disease.
So when Shari Pollack’s pitch crossed home plate at Progressive Field and when Hannah and Ethan Pollack climbed out of the pool after completing their laps, they knew they helped put a face on diabetes…the face of Papa Bill.
Shari Pollack and her daughter Hannah