The future isn't free: donors wanted.

It takes more than a village to raise a doctor.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is on its way to filling the health-care professional void in this region, but that can't be done alone.

Now is the time for corporations large and small and individuals throughout the region to chip in and ensure NOSM is successful in its mission, according to founding dean Roger Strasser.

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The province recently announced that, through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC), it will be matching donations to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine Bursary Fund dollar for dollar.

"Medical education is a high-cost enterprise for the students," says Strasser, who should know. "Medical graduates tend to come out with a debt load of $100,000 or more. We are deliberately recruiting students who would have a lower family income than most medical students in other schools. So the board of directors has set as a target that no student would be financially disadvantaged by studying at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. We are encouraging everyone, including the business sector and corporations within Northern Ontario, to contribute to this fund."

The NOHFC has set aside $5 million to match donations to the general fund and to endowed bursaries ($10,000 or more per year).

"We need to demonstrate the importance of everyone in Northern Ontario digging deep in their pockets to ensure we've got the pool of funds to support our students."

Several key community groups across the North have come together or are joining forces to donate funds for student bursaries. Financial aid allows medical students to focus on their studies, research and clinical education.

"This is something that is, again, about the future of Northern Ontario," Strasser asserts. "Both the universities (Lakehead and Laurentian) are very small and don't have a large cohort of alumni, and not much in the way of financial resources themselves. The medical school is just starting, so we don't have any alumni or that kind of thing. So, we are very much looking to the people of Northern Ontario to support the students."

Donations can be made towards an unrestricted scholarship and bursary fund endowment at either campus. This endowment will be used to fund bursaries distributed to students in financial need through an application process.

Alternatively, named bursaries, scholarships and awards can be created to honour individuals or groups, creating a meaningful legacy tied to the school, according to www.normed.ca.

Contributors for March and April included Andrew Buttazzoni, Community Savings and Credit Union, Dalron Construction, Filles de la Sagesse, Gerry Lougheed Jr., Northridge Savings Credit Union, Dr. Penny Petrone, Greg Pilot Rotary Club of Fort William, Soeur de la Charite d'Ottawa, Sudbury Regional Credit Union and Sheila Tyndall.

As of April 15, over $1.8 million had been pledged. It is anticipated that the Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Fund will add approximately $500,000 to this bursary funding total. For details on how to "be part of history by contributing to the future," as campaign co-chair Gerry Lougheed Jr. would put it, visit the web page below.

www.normed.ca/support_us

By CRAIG GILBERT

Northern Ontario Business