And that’s a good thing.
“I always had this passion that I wanted to work with handicapped kids or adults,” said Pohlman.
For nearly the past six years, Pohlman, of Hamilton, had been the Butler County Special Olympics coordinator, responsible for organizing volunteers, chaperones, coaches, athletes, and the venues for various programs. She’ll retire from that full-time volunteer position (she invests 40 to 50 hours a week) by the end of the month.
But she’s got a post-retirement job with Butler County Special Olympics as co-coordinator. She couldn’t keep up as she has growing personal responsibilities ― she has three young grandchildren.
“I will probably always be part of it,” said the former INCU nurse, who was invited to the national Special Olympics USA games as a nurse. “I don’t know if I ever will quit, totally.”
She became involved in the Special Olympics because of her son, Evan, a 31-year-old Special Olympian who started his athletic career at 14 years old. He immediately took to bowling and has since done everything except for the track and field events.
Though Evan is why she became involved, he and the adopted family is why she’s probably never leaving.
“It’s like we have a whole other family,” she said. “My son, this is his way of interacting and being social with his friends. I have a daughter who’s two years older, and when she was growing up, she was going out and spending time with her friends and having sleepovers, and my son never really had that.”
While Evan is older and more social, he can sometimes struggle with his verbal skills. But the Special Olympics is his chance to interact with friends he knows, and he loves — “and most of the kids he knows he loves,” Pohlman said.
Being a part of the world of people with developmental disabilities has also helped her hone another one of her superpowers: Tolerance.
“Being a mom and being a part of it does help you understand more about other people and their children with disabilities,” she said. “My son has certain disabilities, and the next child might have a different set of disabilities, so every situation is unique.”
Her involvement earned her accolades as a co-recipient of the 2023 Janet Clemmons Community Service Award (along with Pamela Benson of the Village Food Pantry).
“I was very, very honored and very touched that somebody thought I deserved this award,” Pohlman said on the Clemmons honor.
And honestly, she could have won the honor any other year in the past, including when her husband, Eric, had been president of Butler County Challenger Baseball. She invested as much time working in the background, maybe more, but it wasn’t for any accolades, and that’s another one of her superpowers. Humility.
About the Author
