Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association honours Durham College with Community Service Award

Durham College’s (DC) Athletics and Recreation department has received national recognition for its commitment to inclusive sport.

The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) named DC as the recipient of its Community Service Award for the 2025-26 season.

DC was recognized for the ‘Sport is for everyBODY!’ parasport initiative, a partnership with ParaSport Ontario, focused on creating inclusive and accessible sport and recreation opportunities for students and community members of all abilities.

Throughout the year, DC introduced students and community members to wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, sledge hockey and other adaptive sports. The college was also the host venue for major parasport events like the 2025 Wheelchair Basketball National Championships and national team training camps, as well as the Ontario Volleyball Association’s sitting volleyball camps.

“Community engagement has always been at the heart of what we do at Durham College, and everybody has contributed to this initiative: our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and community partners,” said Scott Dennis, Director of Athletics and Recreation at DC. “To be recognized nationally is incredibly meaningful. Sport is for everybody, and we want to get people involved in athletics in any way we can.”

The initiative also created hands-on learning opportunities for DC students, who worked alongside leaders from Parasport Ontario to deliver inclusive programming like goalball, boccia, and sitting volleyball.

The Athletics and Recreation team intends to build on the initiative in the future, with plans underway for a Parasport Summer Camp next year, as well as more athletic offerings.

To learn more about inclusive sports at DC, visit the Durham Lords website and social media.