Pine Hill VP Dow wants to help league by losing weight

There are probably more ways to raise money than any of us know, but Lynn?s Pete Dow has come upon one that will benefit not only the Pine Hill Little League (which he serves as vice president) but himself as well.Dow is going to shed pounds for a cause.Specifically, Dow wants to lose at least 100 pounds and tie the diet in with efforts to raise money for the league.?I?m passing around a donation sheet,” he says, “and you pledge a certain amount of money per pound. Like, if you donate a dollar a pound, and I lose 100 pounds, that?s $100.”Dow recognizes the need for himself to get in better physical condition, which is why he?s doing his fundraising this way.?I?ve been a diabetic since I was 18,” he said, “and I?m 39 now. I can?t continue to live this way, so I am going to get healthy and at the same time, raise money for the league. Hopefully, it gives me motivation.”Dow?s 11-year-old son, Aiden, plays in the league, “and I?d like to be able to play ball with him,” he said. “And I want to be around for my grandchildren as well.”Dow, a former football and baseball player for Lynn Tech, isn?t doing this haphazardly either.?I am going to the doctor,” he said, “and I?m going to see a nutritionist as well. I?m going to go about doing this the right way.”Years of being overweight have taken their toll on Dow, he says.?I have problems with my ankles and my feet, and I have difficulty getting up in the morning,” he says. “But once I get going, I?m fine.”His job as a manager at John?s Roast Beef in Lynn makes carrying around the extra weight difficult, “because I?m always on my feet,” he said.He says John?s owner, Taso Nikolakopoulos, is squarely in his corner.?He?s already given a sizeable donation,” Dow said. “He?s a good athlete, and I know he?s going to keep me going. He?ll be a good motivator.”For the Dows, Pine Hill Little League is a family affair. Dow?s wife, Jill, is one of the coaching coordinators of the league, and their son, Aiden, will play as an 11-year-old this spring.?Right now, things are going well with the league,” Dow said last week at a fundraiser at Tatiana?s. “We?re not quite where we were last year in terms of numbers, but we?re getting there. We have a new president (Jill Avery) and she has some really good ideas.”He is optimistic about where things are heading with the league.?Last year,” he said, “we had only 16 kids to choose from in picking our all-star team, yet we did better than we?d done in a long time.”Dow has allowed himself to dream just a little about what the money he raises from his endeavor might produce.?I?d really like to see us have lights up there (Spagnoli Field is located within Gallagher Playground),” he said. “Wyoma got them last year, and they have the states next year. We?d really like to see that.?I understand you have to listen to the neighbors, and I respect that,” he said, “but it?s a goal.”