DEL WEBB PONTE VEDRA RESIDENT TO SWIM FIVE MILES FOR JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Ponte Vedra, Fla. – When former college president Dr. Tim Lightfield turned 35 he swam five miles in a New Jersey university pool to celebrate the milestone. On May 24 – 35 years later – he will attempt the feat once again; but this time for a very different reason. “I’ll be turning 70 this month,” said the Chicago native who moved to the gated Del Webb Ponte Vedra community six months ago with his wife, Deborah Lightfield. “Because my nine-year-old grandson Jack has diabetes, I’m doing this swim as a fundraiser for the North Florida Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.” Jack Lotz, who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of three, is a very mature 9-year-old, his grandfather said. “He’s very active and he loves playing sports, especially baseball and basketball,” he said. “He also does extremely well at school and manages his tests, diet and medications with amazing courage.” Jack, who will be at home with his parents in Reston, Va., during his grandfather’s swim – made a sign that Lightfield said will be displayed at the pool to motivate him. “It says ‘Go Poppa; I love You!’ ” Lyndsey Patterson, marketing director for PulteGroup North Florida Division, said she wasn’t surprised when Lightfield made plans for the fundraiser. “The Lightfields are the ideal Del Webb residents,” she said. “In six short months, they’ve fit right into the active lifestyle that Del Webb Ponte Vedra offers its residents.” Living in North Carolina when they discovered Del Webb Ponte Vedra, Tim Lightfield said they knew they wanted to live in an active-adult community. “We did a lot of scouting around and found this was the best place in Florida with all of its amenities.” He said they were drawn to the master-planned community because of its convenient location and natural beauty along the Intracoastal Waterway, as well as the plethora of activities like aerobics, gardening, golf, bicycling and pickle ball and the 37,800 square-foot clubhouse with its abundance of clubs and other groups. “We’re between St. Augustine and Jacksonville and only three miles from the beach,” he said. “Our house is on water and we love to enjoy nature and the pond.” Dubbed the “5-Mile @ 70 Swim for Diabetes,” Lightfield’s swim should take about three hours starting at noon in the Del Webb Ponte Vedra 25-yard indoor pool. Swimming freestyle in the six-lane Olympic-style pool, he plans to swim 360 laps. His wife will keep track of each completed mile with a thermometer-type chart. Swimming four times a week, Lightfield has gradually increased his distance from one to more than three and one half miles in preparation for the swim. He said he plans to carb load before with oatmeal and pasta, and will take breaks at the end of the second, third and fourth miles with energy foods and warm showers. To kick start the May 24 fundraiser, the Del Webb Ponte Vedra Men’s Club contributed $500, Lightfield said, adding that he and his wife will match every dollar donated to the JDRF. “You can pledge $5 a mile, five cents a lap or make a direct gift to JDRF with a check or through their website at www2.jdrf.org/goto/swimforjack,” he said. “Or, you can just come by to cheer me on.” Lightfield, whose actual birthday is May 21, said he plans to spend his 70th at a place he hasn’t been for 35 years. “We’re going to Disney World!”