Like millions of Canadians, Durham College (DC) student Damien Haveliwalla was moved by stories of Syrian refugees who arrived in Canada in search a new life, and decided to do something to help the cause in his own unique way.

Haveliwalla, a third-year student in the Sport Management program at DC, was doing his field placement in the sales and sponsorship department of the Steelheads – an Ontario Hockey League team based in Mississauga, when an idea hit him. What about inviting some Syrian refugee families, newly arrived in Toronto, to get their first taste of Canada’s national winter sport; hockey?

“The Steelheads are really big on community involvement,” Haveliwalla said. “And I thought, what better way to help introduce these people to our community, and to Canada, than by inviting them to be our guests at a Steelheads game.”

He took the idea to his team’s management and, after getting their approval, he approached Lifeline Syria, a charitable organization that recruits and trains sponsor groups to help Syrian refugees who are settling in the Greater Toronto Area. The Steelheads supplied tickets to the organization and, as a result, more than 200 Syrian refugees were able to attend their first hockey game as the Steelheads claimed a 5-3 victory over the Peterborough Petes on Friday, March 18^.

Haveliwalla says he was busy with his regular duties during the game, so he didn’t have much chance to interact with the refugee families who were attending the match, but one story he later heard did stick in his mind.

“One of volunteers with Lifeline Syria told me she talked to one of the refugees who told her she was so happy and excited to be at the game and, after everything she’d been through, it felt like the best day of her life,” Haveliwalla said. “Something like that really sticks with you.”

Haveliwalla’s efforts garnered local and national media attention for the Steelheads, with stories on CBC, CITY, Global and CTV News. His teachers at DC had nothing but praise for his efforts to raise the team’s community profile while helping Syrian families get accustomed to their new home.

“Damien has exhibited leadership skills and professionalism in his role with the Mississauga Steelheads,” said Janice Robinson, professor, School of Business, IT and Management at DC. “This is a great example for all of our students on how to excel in their field placements and careers.”

As for Haveliwalla himself, he will finish his placement as a member of the Steelheads sales and sponsorship team, then begin the task of finding a job in his chosen field. With the solid grounding he received from his family, he hopes the lessons he’s learned while at DC will lead to a successful career in sports management.

“My parents always taught me, and this was reinforced at DC, that I should always do the right thing, no matter how much work is involved.” Haveliwalla said. “This really felt like the right thing to do, and I’m glad I was able to help.”

First-and second-year students from Durham College’s (DC) culinary and hospitality programs recently had the opportunity to show off their skills when they spent the weekend cooking and serving pancakes at the Purple Woods Maple Syrup Festival.  During the weekend of March 19th and 20th, students from DC’s Culinary Management, Hospitality Skills, Hospitality – Hotel and Restaurant Operations Management, Special Events Planning and Advanced Baking and Pastry Art programs took on the challenge of feeding festival goers with a wide range of products. Chef Peter Lee, program co-ordinator for the Culinary Management program at the College’s Centre for Food (CFF) says this was the first time DC students had been involved with the festival and, by all accounts, their work was extremely successful.

“The students did everything from providing front-of-the-house services to setting up and preparing pancakes in the kitchen,” said Lee.  “They also operated a pop-up bake shop while feeding about 1,000 people per day. With the festival’s organizers saying everything went very efficiently with almost no line ups to get food, it is clear that the skills our students are gaining in the CFF’s classrooms, kitchen and labs, are making a very real impact when it comes to working in the field.”

In particular, events like the festival give students an opportunity to learn more about the requirements of feeding a large number of people, in close quarters, under tight deadlines. Students were responsible for setting up serving lines, cooking dozens of pancakes at a time, estimating how long it would take each batch to be served and how many could be prepared in each hour. Once the morning and afternoon pancake events were concluded, the students cleaned up, washed up and got ready to do it all again a few hours later.

”There are a number of advantages in taking part in these festival-style events, despite the large volume of work involved for our students,” added Lee. “This includes offering young people who might be considering a career in the culinary, hospitality or events industries the chance to meet with DC students and staff and learn about our award-winning programs.”

And the need to connect is a two-way street, as returning students and new graduates from DC’s culinary and hospitality programs are already searching for either summer jobs to pay for next year’s classes, or looking for the first job towards a full-time career. As Chef Lee points out, being visible in the community pays dividends for DC students as they start their career search.

“I’m fielding calls from a number of local restaurants who are seeking both summer staff and full-time cooks at their locations in Durham,” he added. “Being visible at events like the festival at Purple Woods Conservation Area gives us a chance to show potential employers what our students can do, while helping out in the community.”

Pollination provides a direct link between ecosystems and agricultural production systems, and is critical in the process of cultivating natural foods such as apples, bananas, berries, watermelon, and even chocolate. Without the aid of pollinators, such as butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and other insects, a majority of our food sources would disappear and our environment would begin to falter.

One important member of the pollinator family, the Monarch butterfly, has seen a steep population decline over several years. In an effort to help repopulate this species, Durham College (DC) has partnered with General Motors of Canada Company (GM) to support the Milkweed for Monarchs Program, a project launched to increase milkweed plants, the main food source for Monarchs.

On Monday, March 21, DC students and employees as well as General Motors Oshawa Assembly Plant employees made quick work of potting about 500 milkweed seedlings in the greenhouse located at DC’s Centre for Food (CFF) in Whitby.

“We are so pleased to partner with GM, and offer both space and volunteers to grow milkweed in our greenhouse,” said Shane Jones, professor, Centre for Food. “It’s also an excellent hands-on learning opportunity for students as they work with the plants, while understanding the importance of pollination.”

The plants will remain at DC’s greenhouse until late-April when they will be re-potted in larger four-inch pots. In May, they will be transferred to several locations throughout Durham Region where they will provide a safe habitat for endangered Monarch butterflies.

“The Milkweed for Monarchs Program is an example of GM’s commitment to environmental education and conservation through community partnerships,” said Bill Craig, senior environmental officer, Environmental Compliance & Sustainability, GM. “Our employees are proud to partner with Durham College staff and students to enhance the Monarch butterfly habitat.  The level of enthusiasm and engagement demonstrated by the students and staff was inspiring and reflects on the depth of commitment required to be effective environmental stewards.”

Some of the milkweed will be planted in DC’s own pollinator garden, which received a boost last summer with a large donation of plants from Dutchmaster Nurseries, including serviceberry, winterberry and butterfly bush. Students began populating the garden with the donated plants, and added in St. John’s wart and barrier foliage to create a semi-enclosed sanctuary for the bees and butterflies.

The pollinator garden does more than provide a safe haven for pollinators. It also provides learning opportunities for students in the Horticulture – Food and Farming and Horticulture Technician programs, where they can hone their horticulture and pruning skills and practice plant identification.