National Volunteer Week 2025

As part of National Volunteers Month and National Volunteers Week April 27-May 3, Swim Ontario would like to thank our hard working volunteers who give their time and commitment to help our sport and community on a daily basis. We will be highlighting many of our wonderful volunteers over the next few weeks.

When he was a youngster delivering newspapers in his hometown of Fort Frances, a town located some 17 hours by car northwest of Toronto, Jim Cumming vividly recalls the time he was attacked, and bitten, by a dog.

Nothing serious, but it may have been a contributing factor that would lead him to him changing the direction of his career path. Years later, and a graduate of the University of Waterloo with a degree in science, he would be offered an opportunity to sell advertising for the Fort Frances Times – an award-winning community paper.

Cumming did well, but not enough to call it a permanent vocation. Then came a major challenge that involved journalism. That would lead to the position of Publisher of what had been a more than century old family-owned weekly source of news publication - until it had been sold in 2019.

Talking with Cumming, not to be confused a closely spelled similar name. That of the iconic Jim Cummings – the legendary voice actor heard in Winnie the Pooh and The Lion King – our Canadian colleague is also a symbol of admiration and success.

Simply put, he’s an amazing person, very inspirational, loaded with fascinating stories and the recipient of an induction to the respected Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA) Hall of Fame.

As a former municipal politician, executive with both the Canadian and Ontario weekly newspaper associations and, yes, even a cub leader, the 74-year-old Cumming is still judging newspapers west of the Ontario border. He’s also in his 33rd year of a job that has no financial remuneration - volunteering in swimming not as an athlete, but let’s refer to it as an authoritative individual.

In 1996, he earned the title of Master 5 official. That elevates him to the top category at swim meets. In fact, there is a shortage of that level of experienced and qualified individuals, who are tasked with, among other things, making sure participants follow the rules. Cumming is one of a handful in the vast northern part of Ontario.

Travelling, especially in the inclement weather, to communities like Dryden, Kenora, Red Lake, Atikokan and across the United States border to Minnesota to officiate at swim meets, is not like taking a cozy drive to the nearby shopping centre.

Cumming has a funny, but true, story the year he was being evaluated for the elite officiating status. It occurred at a meet hosted by the Etobicoke Olympium in Toronto. The electronic timer system had a malfunction resulting in some smoke and flames. Performances, by more than 1,200 swimmers at a provincial age class championship, came to a sudden stop.

People went searching for, and buying, something used years past called a stopwatch. Cumming had his own (that’s another story) and used the waiting time to deliver a clinic to others about how a stopwatch was to be used at a swim meet.

“I saw that as my introduction to making a difference,” said Cumming. “People were frantically searching for stop watches, and I was hoping they’d find a few, and here I was teaching how to use them.”

That other story dates back to when his nine-year-old son competed with the Fort Frances Aquanauts Swim Team (FFaST). After driving about 220 kilometres to a pool in Dryden, Cumming watched the all-day performance from the balcony bleachers. Claiming that he was bored, he went for a walk and purchased a stopwatch.

“They didn’t have enough officials at the meet, and I offered to help,” said Cumming, who was in his early 40’s at the time. “I thought I could do something and figured it was better to be a timer than a spectator. I could time every race and that would help with being there so long.”

Cumming would then take a variety of courses - how to monitor turns and strokes. He was approached to learn how to be a starter – and accepted

Having once tinkered with the thought of becoming a classroom teacher, Cumming did end up instructing, tutoring and schooling individuals. That occurred, and still does, bringing on new officials. He calls it “passing the torch” and admits it can take a long time to nurture.

Cumming was never a competitive swimmer.

“Back then, we never had a pool in Fort Frances,” he said, acknowledging swimming would result in a trip across the United States border to the state of Minnesota and, specifically, International Falls.

In the summer months, people travelled on bicycles to the lake to swim.

Stories about volunteering and officiating, experienced by Cumming, can take up quite a bit of time.

“I thoroughly enjoy volunteering at swim meets,” said Cumming. “Meeting former swimmers, whose kids are now coming to the pool. You get to celebrate young people - and the excitement their parents have watching them compete and have fun.

“One of the things swimming teaches young people is that they come away successful – even if they finish in last place. There is no embarrassment. They want to know their times and they have the success of finishing a race and it gives them great confidence.”

National Volunteer Month is celebrated in April. “Volunteers Make Waves” for National Volunteer Week set for April 27 to May 3. In swimming, it’s a time to recognize the major impact from individuals, who give of their time to make things better for others. It’s also a celebration of the contributions from millions of people in Canada who have volunteered to improve life in communities across the country.

As Cumming puts it, “volunteering is a continuation of excitement and that’s what it’s all about. Most volunteers see what they do as a personal thing. They don’t want notoriety but do it as form of giving back time where, in many cases, others did the same for them.”

David Grossman is a veteran multi award-winning Journalist and Broadcaster with some of Canada’s major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 50+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations.