New bursary honours Montador
One of Steve Montador’s closest friends knows the former NHLer would approve of the Steve Montador H.O.P.E. Bursary.
Applications are now open for the $5,000 bursary which supports students transitioning to post-secondary education while dealing with sports-related concussions.
Montador’s career was cut short by concussions and since his passing friends have worked to create a legacy in his name.
“We were trying to come up with something to honour our friend, some feeling that looking down he’d say, ‘That’s what I would have done,’ ” said Mike Keating, a director for H.O.P.E (Helping Others Participate Equally).
“Steve was always supporting the community and was into the charity stuff. He took these crazy trips to Africa to help kids. That’s what we wanted to focus on, helping kids and their families.”
Students suffering the longterm effects of a sports-related concussion may require a reduced academic course load. The bursary can help fund an expensive neurological exam required to qualify for a reduced workload. This is the third year for the bursary.
“We’re looking for any student across our region who has suffered a sports-related concussion and is still struggling with post-concussion syndrome who needs a reduced workload,” said Laura Kennedy, executive director of the GPSHF, Your Family Health Team Foundation.
The identity of recipients is not publicized to protect privacy, she said.
“Some of the challenges we’ve heard about from students who have received this in the past is trying to secure a reduced workload from a college or university,” Kennedy said. “Each school can have different requirements from just a simple doctor’s note to a neurological exam to get a reduced schedule. There’s also some equipment they can secure to help them take notes in class. Some colleges and universities also have really helpful programs where they can provide things for free and some colleges or universities don’t have the funding. So we look at how we can best support those students for a successful outcome in their first year.”
To be considered for the bursary, applicants need to be: á A student at a Peterborough city and county-based high school and registered in a first
year program at college/university.
• Suffering from post-concussion syndrome sustained from a sports-related injury.
• Be in satisfactory academic standing.
• Have financial need. Applications are open until April 23. All applicants will be reviewed by a committee con
sisting of H.O.P.E., Team 55, Your Family Health Team Foundation and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).
All applicants will be notified of their status by May 1.
Visit gphsf.ca to download the application form.