ShawneeDispatch.com

As teams duck, dip, dive and dodge in Perceptive Software’s basement dodgeball court this weekend, it won’t just be the thrill of competition driving the players on.

The knowledge that they are raising funds for a worthy cause, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, will be an underlying motivation in the fourth- annual Dodge for a Cause tournament.

That’s especially true for one team, Rachel’s Crew, whose motivation will be cheering them on from the stands.

Rachel Ferencz, a freshman at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes nine years ago. She serves as the team captain, explaining she’s mainly there to support the team her father, Steven Ferencz, organized at his workplace.

“It’s a really great thing, because it shows that everyone wants to help and that they do care, and they want to come out and raise money for me,” Rachel said of the team.

Rachel’s Crew was organized three years ago when Steven Ferencz was looking for an event that his employer, CentiMark, a commercial and industrial roofing company, could get involved in through its CentiMark Cares in the Community program.

When he found out about the Dodge for a Cause event in his hometown, it seemed the perfect fit.

“It was just neat to be able to donate to JDRF, a cause that is near and dear to my heart, and also get some camaraderie for the office, because we went out and got some T-shirts made and we got to go out and support Rachel,” Ferencz said.

Rachel’s daily struggles with diabetes are a reminder of how much work needs to be done in research of the disease’s causes, treatments and cures.

“There is no ‘day off’ with diabetes,” Ferencz said. “Rachel has her own life in her hands every day. She has handled this responsibility well, but the disease creates a burden that the kids live with every day.”

Rachel must balance the amount of carbohydrates she ingests and the amount of activity she is doing and then has to deliver insulin to cover the carbohydrates. Her daily ritual is to take her blood sugar before every meal, determine how much food she is going to eat and then deliver the amount of insulin to cover the carb count of the food.

Rachel has to check her blood sugar level before exercising, as well, and therefore has eight to 10 tests each day.

“Rachel has the heart of a lion,” Ferencz said. “As a high school freshman she just wants to fit in. Wearing the pump and taking her blood sugars makes her feel different. She has handled this challenge and is an inspiration for our family.”

The first year CentiMark created the Rachel’s Crew dodgeball team, it was able to donate $5,000 on top of its registration fee, and for the past two years it has donated an additional $2,500. Ferencz said the tournament has become an event that everyone in the office looks forward to each year.

“The dodgeball tournament, it’s very competitive, and we’re competitive as well,” Ferencz said.

With 13 team members and eight main players, the players have gained some notoriety in the office.

“This year we have a couple of injuries, so we’ve got a couple people on the IR list and we give them a bunch of grief about that,” Ferencz said.

The tournament began last week, but Saturday’s snow forced the cancellation of afternoon games, so Rachel’s Crew will play its first game this weekend. And Rachel said she was looking forward to cheering her namesake team on.

“This is definitely one of the funnest events, and it’s a great thing that they picked JDRF to give the money to so we can come out and be a part of it,” she said.

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