Look who just won the Medal of Merit

CITY OF SAULT STE. MARIE

NEWS RELEASE

******************* Medal of Merit award winners

(Sault Ste. Marie, ON) - The Corporation of the City of Sault Ste. Marie's Medal of Merit Award Committee has selected the winners of the 2005 Medal of Merit.

City Council established a Medal of Merit Selection Committee in 1972 to award the Medal of Merit annually to persons or groups of persons in recognition of outstanding achievement in the areas of athletics, culture, academics or any other area that the Committee deems appropriate.

The current Medal of Merit Selection Committee consists of Mayor John Rowswell, His Honour Justice Wayne Cohen, Ms. Carmella Novello, Ms. Ella Jean Richter, and Ms. Sharon Graham.

The Medal of Merit Selection Committee chose four recipients from a total of 18 nominations.

This year's winners are:

Dr. John Kenneth Mohamed Born in Trinidad and educated in Winnipeg, Dr. Mohamed [shown] came to Sault Ste. Marie in 1967 as a newly qualified specialist in urology.

Soon after his arrival in the Sault, he founded a renal and dialysis unit service.

Throughout his career, Dr. Mohamed has worked tirelessly to introduce innovative and progressive medical procedures to the community.

He was cofounder of the Plummer Hospital's angiographic unit in 1970 and urodynamic unit services in 1981, as well as founder of the General Hospital's urology clinic in 1992.

Dr. Mohamed was also a founding member of the Kidney Foundation of Ontario (Sault Ste. Marie). He currently serves as a board member for the Northern Ontario Medical Education Corp.

The Medal of Merit is awarded to Dr. John Kenneth Mohamed in recognition of his significant and dedicated contribution to health care services in Sault Ste. Marie.

Marie and Elgin Long

Marie and Elgin Long are receiving the Medal of Merit in recognition of their outstanding voluntarism with Algoma and District Tabs for Wheelchairs.

Marie began saving aluminum tabs from soft drink and beer cans in 1993 with the hope of buying a wheelchair to loan to individuals who were unable to purchase or rent their own.

In 1996, the first wheelchair was purchased with proceeds from the tabs.

This was also the year that Marie married Elgin Long.

Over a period of ten years, and with the assistance of area schools and service clubs, the Longs collected an estimated 18 to 20 million tabs (8.5 tons), which they then sold to Trader's Metal.

The money raised was used to purchase a variety of medical equipment which was lent free of charge to those in need.

By the time the Longs retired in 2003, they had accumulated over 200 pieces of health care equipment, including commode chairs, hospital beds and walkers in addition to wheelchairs, all of which they stored and distributed from their home.

The medical equipment has now been donated to the local Oddfellows Lodge, to the local and district Royal Canadian Legions, as well as to churches in the area in order that their legacy can continue.

The quiet and selfless work of Marie and Elgin Long has certainly had a dramatic impact on their community.

St. Basil's Saints Senior Girls Basketball Team

The St. Basil's Saints Senior Girls Basketball Team made Sault Ste. Marie basketball history in 2005, becoming the first girls' team from Sault Ste. Marie ever to win a provincial championship.

The team was undefeated in its quest for the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations "A" championship in Sturgeon Falls.

This is only the second time that a local school has won a provincial basketball championship, the last being a boys' title at the OFSAA "A" level by the 1950 Collegiate Wildcats.

St. Basil's Saints team members are Kristy Aloe, Adrianna Bruni, Abby DiDonato, Laura DiDonato, Courtney Dubas, Megan Dubas, Katie LaRue, Natasha Marasco, Samantha Rainone, Lara Stilin and Amanda Vernelli.

Jim Pedatella, Ed Green, Michael Pavoni, Ken Hamilton, Richard Majic and Emily MacPherson are the coaching staff.

The team is awarded the 2005 Medal of Merit for outstanding achievement in athletics.

Jean Wyatt

Jean Wyatt has made an outstanding contribution to the community of Sault Ste. Marie as a volunteer with the Alzheimer Society, Red Cross Emergency Response Team, VON Hospice, Royal Canadian Legion, Sault Area Hospital and many other organizations.

In 2002, Ms. Wyatt was deployed to Timmins and to Thunder Bay with Red Cross disaster services.

For three weeks in 2005, Jean was in Montgomery, Alabama as a Red Cross volunteer in response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

While she was there, Hurricane Rita also hit the area.

Ms. Wyatt has been "Singing Santa" for several years, visiting nursing homes, senior housing complexes and the hospitals.

The Medal of Merit is awarded to Jean Wyatt in acknowledgment of her exceptional volunteer service, not only to the community of Sault Ste. Marie, but also to the broader community.

The 2005 Medal of Merit awards will be presented to this year's recipients at a Civic Awards Ceremony and Dinner in mid-February 2006.

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