NC welcomed guests from across the College, local community and government on May 19 at The Core (Welland Campus) for Rise & Inspire: Creating Community Legacy Through Sport, a fundraising breakfast in support of NC Knights student-athlete scholarships.
The event featured an insightful conversation focused on the lasting impact and legacies of sport, both within communities and across generations.
Guests heard from two distinguished panelists, the Honourable Neil Lumsden, Ontario’s Minister of Sport, and Paul Johnson, City Manager for the City of Toronto, in a discussion moderated by Michele O’Keefe, Senior Director of Athletics and Student Engagement at NC. The conversation explored how major sporting events, such as the upcoming FIFA World Cup, can leave lasting community legacies that extend far beyond the field.
From L to R: MP Tony Baldinelli, NC President Sean Kennedy, Minister of Sport, the Honourable Neil Lumsden, MP Fred Davies,, City Manager of Toronto, Paul Johnson and NC Senior Director of Athletics & Student Engagement, Michele O’Keefe.
A key theme throughout the discussion was sport’s ability to shape communities over time through tourism, connection, public engagement and long-term community development. Panelists reflected on how major events can influencer cities for years to come, not only through infrastructure and tourism, but through participation, youth engagement, and shared community pride.
Minister Lumsden emphasized that legacy must be understood as a long-term investment rather than an immediate outcome, particularly when it comes to hosting major sporting events.
“One of the core pieces behind this, what world cities and big cities do, is they look at these types of opportunities as a big city investment, and we should be hosting these types of things to welcome people not just to Toronto, but to this province and this country,” he said.
“The opportunity is to talk about the legacy these things bring to your community. They’re not always immediate, and it’s not about what happened the day after, it’s about the long term. Those investments continue to pay off in how cities grow and how people connect to sport and opportunity.”
Minister Lumsden also spoke to the broader social impact of sport, particularly for youth.
“Sport is about creating opportunities, not only for athletes, but for young people who want to find their way through sport because it leads to so many opportunities,” he said. “It’s about building friendships and coming together.”
Johnson touched on sport’s role in shaping both individual development and community wellbeing.
“Sport does so many things on the business model, and it does even more on the personal side,” he said. “It’s not just about what happens on the field, it’s about what happens in people’s lives, the skills they take away, the friendships they build, and the discipline they develop.”
“Time management, communication, showing up, being prepared, those are life skills,” he added. “I learned them all through sport, and those lessons stay with you long after you stop playing.”
He also emphasized the important role sport plays in supporting mental health and social connection.
“We need positive ways to connect people,” he said. “In a time where isolation is becoming more common, sport brings people together in a meaningful way.”
O’Keefe highlighted NC’s own efforts to build community through athletics, nodding to Welland Girls Sports Day as a local example of sport legacy in action. Taking place this year on June 6, the annual event is held in partnership with the City of Welland and introduces young girls to sport and physical activity in a welcoming environment designed to build confidence and participation from an early age. The initiative was recently recognized with the I.D.E.A. Award from Parks and Recreation Ontario, honouring programs that expand equitable access to recreation through inclusive design, advocacy, and community leadership.
Niagara Parks also joined as the presenting sponsor of the Rise & Inspire breakfast. Their ongoing investment in community legacy through sport and tourism was highlighted through their upcoming FIFA World Cup festivities and fan activations, as an example of how major sporting moments can uplift communities and create lasting memories.
In closing remarks, NC President Sean Kennedy took the stage to reflect on the role sport plays in education, student experience, and learning opportunities at the College.
“Sport is fundamentally important to building individual skills, to building mental health, to building community,” said Kennedy. “Everything about sport is a metaphor for life.”
Kennedy also highlighted the strength of NC’s athletics program and the experiential learning opportunities it provides to students, including broadcasting NC games and supporting high-performance athletics through coaching, officiating, and sport therapy roles.
As the event concluded, O’Keefe left attendees with a message about the importance of community collaboration and positive youth experiences through sport.
“If we all work together and keep giving our youth incredible positive experiences, we know that the Niagara Region, Ontario, and Canada will continue to rise,” she said. “We cannot give into the negativity. It is our job as people involved in sport and activity to keep our kids safe from the negativity, and in our corner of the world, sport is our chosen vehicle.”
