Trees planted at the college’s Whitby campus

Whitby, ON – On June 20, Durham College (DC) held a commemorative ceremony to plant hero trees at its Whitby campus, as part of the Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign.

Created with a mission to plant two million trees along and within the communities adjacent to the 401 Highway of Heroes, the campaign is a living tribute to the members of the country’s Armed Forces, including DC alumni and the 117,000 men and women who died in conflicts since Confederation.

First brought to the attention of the college leadership by the DC Lords women’s varsity softball team, the campaign was quickly embraced and supported.

“When we heard about the tree campaign we knew we wanted to offer a portion of land at the Whitby campus for planting,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “The Highway of Heroes has been a part of the campus landscape since we first opened 25 years ago and we are so pleased we can demonstrate our support for the Canadian Armed Forces along our stretch of this incredibly important roadway.” 

Joining Lovisa and the softball team was Mike Hurley, executive director of the Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign, who worked together to plant the first tree.

“We are so happy these trees have found a home at the college’s Whitby campus,” said Dr. Rebecca Milburn, executive dean of the School of Skilled Trades, Apprenticeship and Renewable Technology, as well as the Centre for Food, and principal at the Whitby campus. “Not only is the campaign a wonderful way to honour the men and women who have served or are currently serving our country, it’s given our students an opportunity to practice the skills they are learning in class to ensure these trees will be a permanent part of the campus grounds.”

DC professor Shane Jones and several Horticulture – Technician and Horticulture – Food and Farming students, worked together to prepare the land for the planting, ensuring it was in the best possible condition for the trees to grow.

For more information about the Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign please visit www.hohtribute.ca.

 

-30-

About Durham College

At Durham College (DC), the student experience comes first. With campuses in Oshawa and Whitby and a learning site in Pickering, we offer approximately 13,600 full-time post-secondary and apprenticeship students access to more than 140 full-time and nine apprenticeship programs including the new Honours Bachelor of Health Care Technology Management degree.

We enable students to develop the career-ready skills required to meet the demands of today’s job market by connecting them with expert faculty and offering quality programs. With a focus on experiential learning through field-placements, applied research, co-ops and other hands-on opportunities, DC grads have the skills and knowledge employers need.

The Oshawa campus features DC’s newest building the Centre for Collaborative Education which represents the college’s commitment to working with local business and community partners while bringing together local, Indigenous and global communities and members of key business sectors. The Whitby campus features the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food, which includes Bistro ’67, a full-service, teaching-inspired restaurant, and Pantry, a retail store featuring food prepared by students in the college’s culinary programs.

For more information, visit www.durhamcollege.ca or call 905.721.2000.

Media contact:

Shelly Kowalski
Communications and Marketing
905.721.2000 ext. 6219
shelly.kowalski@durhamcollege.ca