Avid swimmer and Novar resident Joy Jarvis is heading into the waters of Muskoka on July 28 to raise money for equipment at Huntsville Hospital.
The swim will start at 8 a.m. at the docks by Algonquin Outfitters, and Jarvis expects it to wrap up around 12:30. Supporters are invited to the docks to see her off and welcome her back. She’ll swim a 9-kilometre route from downtown Huntsville up the Muskoka River, to Lake Vernon, around Gallagher’s Island, and back. Jarvis is asking locals to help her help the Huntsville Hospital Foundation (HHF) because it’s a cause close to heart and home for most people in the area.
“I’m swimming for life-saving equipment. It’s something that can be used in the hospitals daily and helps all the residents of the community out,” Jarvis said. “You’re never too young or old to fulfill your dream, and that’s what my swims have been.”
Jarvis said it was great to fundraise for Huntsville Hospital in 2023, so she approached the foundation again this year to let them know she wanted to do more for them. She set the same fundraising goal of $5,000, though she hopes to raise more than the $6,836 she raised for the MRI project last year.
Roughly eight or nine other swimmers will join her in the water for the final stretch of her swim. They’ll start swimming at various points during the last three and a half kilometres of the journey and have kayak support available along the way, so Jarvis will have people backing her in the water and on the docks.
“It’s neat to see that,” she said. “It gives you that extra push and that extra drive.”
Jarvis has been swimming since she was only a year and a half old. She got into competitive and long-distance swimming before transitioning her swims into fundraisers. It keeps her in shape, but more importantly, it allows her to raise money for essential local causes.
She plans to continue swimming for charity as long as she’s able. This is Jarvis’ second year swimming for the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, but overall, she’s spent just shy of three decades swimming for different healthcare causes.
She started her fundraising swims to support cancer camps for children. After supporting Camp Trillium and Camp Oochgeas, she also swam for Hospice Huntsville for over 10 years. Jarvis said it’s an honour and a privilege to be working with the hospital foundation now.
“All the equipment that I’m raising money for will be needed in years to come,” she said. “It’s just an overwhelming feeling of support that I’ve gotten over the years, especially the past two years for the foundation.”
It’s heartwarming for her to see the encouragement and support grow over the years while knowing the donations are helping the community at large. Supporters can contribute in person at the swim or online on Jarvis’s fundraising page, which will remain open for donations for a few weeks after the event.
She’s hoping for sunny skies and calm waters on the day of the event, but she’s planning to swim rain or shine. She’s only had to be pulled out of the water due to bad weather once before, so she feels good about her chances.
She’s been training with friends about three times a week in preparation for the fundraiser. Even though she’s done it dozens of times before, she still has some nerves leading up to the big day. She tries to focus on training and getting a good night’s sleep in the days leading up to the swim.
“Once I get there and dive in at 8, I get my rhythm and I tell myself, ‘I can do this,’” she said, adding that she reminds herself who she’s doing it for. “As it gets closer, I get a little nervous, which is hard to believe after all the years, but maybe that makes the swims more special.”
Trish Kruusmagi, development officer for community engagement and events at HHF, said the team at the foundation had a lot of fun celebrating Jarvis’ first swim. They’re excited to see her back at it, especially given the importance of the cause.
Every year, the foundation raises over a million dollars to cover the purchase of new equipment for the hospital. Everything from stretchers to heart monitors is paid for with private money.
“Events like Joy’s not only raise money for the hospital, but they raise awareness in the community because a lot of people don’t even realize that we have to fundraise for the equipment inside,” Kruusmagi said. “They think it’s paid with tax dollars, and it’s not true.”
All hospitals in the province have to raise money for equipment, so creating awareness around that need is crucial. She said their job at the foundation is to inspire the community to donate, and between locals and cottagers, it’s an incredibly generous community.
Kruusmagi said it’s great to see Jarvis supporting the hospital because it helps existing residents while also attracting new people to the area. It’s a community hub with critical importance, so she and the foundation team are urging people to show their support for her efforts. Their team will have a tent set up at the docks with their summer ambassadors there to cheer her on.
“We’re encouraging people who live along the route to clap and cheer as she swims by and support her,” Kruusmagi said. “There might even be a little celebration of it at the pub afterwards for anyone who wants to join.”
Jarvis is quite the lady, Kruusmagi said, and passionate people like her have a ripple effect in the community. Recently, an eight-year-old girl sold bracelets to her friends, and when others decided to match her donation, she was able to contribute over $3,000.
After that, a local boy gave his birthday money while another boy had a lemonade stand at a family garage to bring in donations. Residents know what a difference a good hospital makes, and every bit counts, she said.
For people who can’t donate directly, volunteering with the hospital auxiliary or foundation is another way to help. Locals can also reach out to Kruusmagi if they want to start their own fundraising event.
“Whether it’s a bake sale or a swim or a substantial million-dollar donation, they all help us raise the money needed for the equipment that will, in the long term, attract physicians to Huntsville,” she said. “When you’re working and you’re practicing, you want to work with the best equipment there is, it just makes your job easier, so that is another goal of ours is attracting new physicians to the area.”
To make a donation to Joy Jarvis’ fundraiser, visit her page on JustGiving.com.
