AUGUSTA – Tom Cummings was honored at the Child and Youth Care Practice Conference on May 12 at the Senator Inn. Along with five other youth care workers from across the state, Cummings received the Maine Child and Youth Care Practitioner Distinguished Service Award.

Cummings has been employed with Rumford Group Homes Inc. for five years and is a supervisor at Roy House in Dixfield. Staff members said they have enjoyed his sense of humor, his outgoing nature and his talents as a youth care worker.

Cummings brings with him a wealth of knowledge and life experience that contribute to who he is and the work he does with children. He is originally from Connecticut.

After serving in Vietnam, Cummings resided in Colorado, living in a teepee. He has traveled to many countries, including Greece and Ireland. He has traveled to all but two of the 50 states.

As a young man, Cummings juggled work with raising two young sons. Prior to moving to Maine from Vermont, he worked as a case manager for dually diagnosed adults. At one point he also worked in a forensic unit.

Cummings and his wife, Hanna, are members of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Sierra Club and Amnesty International. The couple reside in Farmington with their two cats.

Cummings spends his free time flying fishing, rooting for the Red Sox, skiing, biking, sailing and canoeing. Recently he purchased property in Newfoundland and is working on developing the oceanside retreat.