NoahStrong Day tournament supporting local families and more
Nearly 140 ball hockey games are lined up for Callander’s Bill Barber Complex on Friday and Saturday.
But officials with the fifth annual NoahStrong Day tournament say it’s about more than hockey.
They say the event is about bringing people together, creating lasting memories, and continuing Noah’s legacy through community, connection, and support.
“One of the things is empowering youth,” says Dave Dugas, Noah’s Dad and NoahStrong co-founder. “We give out bursaries to a lot of high schools. We give out awards at a lot of the grade 8 schools as well. We’ve now even expanded out to the surrounding areas.”
He says they also support local families who are going through difficult times and create awareness during organ donation month in April.
As for the tournament, dozens of boys’ and girls’ teams, from U7 through U13, are taking part.
“We’ve got the most amount of teams that we’ve ever had,” says Dugas. “We’re at 53 teams so that’s upwards of 400 participants.”
A ceremonial ball drop takes place Saturday morning with special guests Philadelphia Flyers legend Bill Barber, Nipissing Women’s Lakers Team Captain Abby Lunney, and former North Bay Battalion player Mitchel Russell.
A Nashville party with live music is also lined up for Saturday night at the Callander Community Centre.
Tickets are $100 and are available online.
NoahStrong was founded to honour the memory of Noah Dugas, a 13-year-old North Bay boy who passed away in November 2020 following a sudden and unexpected stroke.
Noah was an organ donor whose gift of life helped seven individuals.
Richard Coffinhttps://www.mynorthbaynow.com/Richard Coffin has been a reporter and news anchor on the radio in North Bay for over 25 years. From premiers to people in the neighbourhood, he enjoys connecting with newsmakers and writing stories that matter to area listeners on a variety of topics including healthcare, education, politics, sports and more.
