Little League, big thanks.
Bruce Campbell, Ontario’s District 2 assistant administrator and treasurer of Little League Canada, was awarded the Little League Baseball and Softball Commendation Award for his 20 years of service.
Submitted photo
When Nepean
resident Bruce Campbell went to Lexington,
Ky. for the Little League
International Congress on March 13, he figured it was just another meeting.
As Ontario’s
District 2 assistant administrator and treasurer of Little League Canada, Campbell
expected to be crunching a bunch of numbers for the organization.
Instead, Campbell was recognized as
Canada’s recipient of the Little League Baseball and Softball Commendation
Award for his 20 years in of service, including eight as an assistant district
administrator.
The notoriety was such as shock to Campbell that he didn’t
even realize that the presenter was describing his contributions until his name
was uttered at the volunteers’ luncheon.
“It was a complete surprise,” he said.
“You’re listening but you’re not really thinking it’s about you. A friend of
mine said ‘You should have seen that blank look on your face.’
“I’ve done a lot of volunteering over the
years and you don’t do it to get recognized. You do it because you enjoy doing
it.
“It was very nice and very humbling.”
Campbell got involved with Little League the same way most parents get
involved with minor sports – through their children.
Campbell’s two sons Jason and John eventually switched into baseball from
soccer and even daughter Jennifer spent two years rounding the bases.
“They needed help on the administration
side. It was never a coach because I didn’t want to be,” he said. “From there
it just kind of branched out because I have a difficulty saying
no and I got more involved.”
Aside from Little League, Campbell
was also an avid volunteer in Nepean
minor hockey in the past.
No matter what the sport, he enjoys seeing
the smiles on the kids’ faces.
“Just helping put on a program for them,
that’s the enjoyment I get out of it,” he said. “That’s why I do it.
“I still remember it to this day, way back
then it was called Brookline Public School (in Nepean) I went and put chalk
lines down and kids kept coming up and said, ‘Mum just like the pros.’”
It’s those simple things that make
volunteers so important to minor sports, Campbell
said, whether or not they earn praise for their efforts.
“You have to recognize volunteerism but you
never think it’s going to be you,” he said. “When it is you, you’re very
humbled that someone would think of you as a recipient of such as highly
regarded award.”
daniel.bowman@metroland.com