Cambridge, ON – the OHA is proud to partner with Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) to present the Bursary Program, which recognizes OHA members for their outstanding commitment to:
- Community service: the applicant demonstrates “perseverance, originality and heart,” while assisting in building stronger and healthier communities
- Academics: dedication to their studies and attaining high grades in the classroom
- Athletics: on-ice success/achievement, as well as a passion for the game of hockey
Eight (8) DFO Bursaries will be awarded at $6,000 each.
To apply for the 2023 Bursary Program click here
One of the 2022 Bursary winners is Port Hope native GRAHAM DICKERSON
Watch Graham’s 2022 bursary winner highlight video here
by Dan Carle
Now of the University of Toronto men’s hockey team. Once petrified to even step on to the ice.
“First time skating my entire family – parents, grandparents – were there,” said forward Graham Dickerson of Port Hope. “Everyone was waiting for me to go on the ice. I wouldn’t go on. I started crying – I got so nervous.” The tears dried and having taken that first glide, Dickerson has never looked back.
“Good things happened,” he said. “Then I played five years of junior hockey.” The junior years between Whitby (OJHL), a coveted, well-earned spot on Kitchener (OHL) and the Wellington Dukes (OJHL) were great primers for hockey today with the Varsity Blues in USports, the Canadian University league.
An 80-plus per cent high school academic average put Dickerson squarely in the sights of the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, who awarded the 22-year-old a tidy sum of $8,000 through its Bursary program to continue to grow in the game, help in the community and excel in the classroom.
“Always give back. You never know what kids are looking up to you, and they might want to be you one day,” he said. Dickerson, one of six Bursary winners from across Ontario, also volunteered with local baseball teams in the Port Hope area, and “hung out for the day” playing casual hockey at a nearby special needs facility. “It was pretty neat,” Dickerson said. “Giving a good impression to the community and putting your time in was always instilled into me.”
He’s taking Business classes at the University of Toronto, with an eye towards real estate, just like his older brother Drew. “He played hockey. He played baseball. I just followed suit,” said the younger Dickerson.
How to apply for the 2023 Bursary Program – To apply click here
Candidates must complete the application form and submit it to the OHA by 8 p.m. on May 1, 2023. Each application will be reviewed by a panel and only the successful recipients will be contacted by the OHA. We wish the best of luck to all applicants.
