“Having fun Helping others at Stonecroft, New Hamburg”
During the snowy months, Jim Finlayson works out a few times a week at the gym, participates in some Texas hold ‘em card games with friends and generally keeps active, but it’s the greening of the golf courses that gets his attention come spring. In addition to hitting the links himself, he’s also a marshal at the Dundee Country Club.
“It’s tough to wait,” he comments with humour, but says there’s plenty to do at Stonecroft – the adult lifestyle community where he lives with his wife Marolyn. “I’m one of those people that when I finally retired, I didn’t have to have a daily regime. But I keep busy.” In fact, it was the area’s vibrancy that attracted him in the first place. Not interested in a sleepy retirement environment, he liked that many of his neighbours are still working, and that Stonecroft is an integral component of New Hamburg. “It’s an active place,” Jim says of the bungalow condo community. “There are just no kids – that’s the only difference.”
As of last year, when he took on chairing the silent auction committee of the annual charity golf tournament, his schedule got a bit busier. But despite being instrumental in raising $9,000 for the Wilmot Resource Centre, an amount doubled from the year before, he’s quick to deflect accolades.
“I put together a tremendous committee,” he said of the five people who worked together to gather about 100 items for the annual September event. “That’s the secret of anything working: get good people to do it.”
Prior to retirement, Jim worked in the glass business and sat on a couple of provincial committees – one overseeing glaziers going through the apprenticeship program; and another helping to negotiate labour relations between the province and the trade association. Although his workplace experience wasn’t social in nature, it was useful in coordinating his golf-tournament team, which receives strong support from area businesses and vendors.
In 2011, Jim hopes to bump up donations further. “I like the end result,” he says of his efforts.
“I enjoy being able to turn something back to the community.”
