$17,000 Donation to NOSM Bursary Fund establishes Bring a Doctor Home Bursary

This past weekend, Hal Mogg, Algoma Steel Hockey Tournament Director, presented a $17,000 cheque on behalf of participants in the Algoma Steel Hockey Tournament to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) Bursary Fund to establish a Bring a Doctor Home Bursary. The presentation took place following the conclusion of the tournament at the John Rhodes Community Centre with NOSM Founding Dean Dr. Roger Strasser and Manager of Development Gail Brescia in attendance to accept the financial contribution.

On behalf of NOSM and the School’s future students, Dr. Strasser expressed his gratitude for the generous donation. “Contributions to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine Bursary Fund are long-term investments in better health care for Northern Ontarians.” He continued, “We are very thankful to the participants of the Algoma Steel Hockey Tournament for this donation and their continued commitment to supporting students hailing from the North who wish to pursue their medical education in the North.”

The Bring a Doctor Home Bursary contribution will be matched, dollar for dollar, by the Ontario Government, and the bursary itself will continue to grow with each successive year that the tournament raises donations.

The Algoma Steel Hockey Tournament is open exclusively to employees and retirees of the company. Twenty-one teams from various departments, including three teams of retirees, participate in four divisions. In 2006, the tournament participants collected $10,500 in donations for students of the medical school, which, with a contribution from Algoma Steel and matching government funding, created the Algoma Steel Bursary in the amount of $100,000.

Participants in the Algoma Steel Hockey Tournament recognize the financial strain medical students can face. “The Bring a Doctor Home Bursary will help students reduce costs associated with earning a medical degree and, hopefully, encourage those hailing from Northern Ontario who are interested in a medical career to fulfil their dreams,” said Hal Mogg, Algoma Steel Hockey Tournament Director. “We believe this investment will strategically assist Sault Ste. Marie with long-term recruitment of family physicians to Northern Ontario,” he said.

A photo of Dr. Strasser accepting the donation from the Algoma Steel Hockey Tournament participants is available upon request.