Members of the Medicine Hat Skateboard Association are holding a bottle drive Saturday in support of the local Ronald McDonald House. From left are Zach Fischer, Dominic Smythe, Drayton Clendenan, Michaela Burgess, Jade Ritchie and Davie James.--NEWS PHOTO SAMANTHA JOHNSON
reporter@medicinehatnews.com
The Medicine Hat Skateboard Association is holding a bottle drive on Saturday in support of the local Ronald McDonald House. The group also wants to raise awareness about the vital service RMHC provides to the community.
Treasurer of MHSA Michaela Burgess said, “Two members of our team recently had to stay in the Ronald McDonald House for six months because they had complications with their baby.”
This initiated the idea for the fundraiser and 100 per cent of money raised will go to the RMHC.
A bottle truck will be at the Kinsmen Skateboard Plaza at Kin Coulee today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. so people can drop off bottles. A barbecue is being held from noon until 12:45 p.m. Following the barbecue, a few members will remain at the skate park to collect bottles and the rest will be going door to door in the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital area to collect bottles and donations.
“We in our community saw the need and the services the Ronald McDonald House offers. We felt it was something we should back up,” said secretary Davie James. “This really hit home for our entire team and we decided to prioritize this sooner rather than later.”
MHSA works to improve the image of skateboarders. The group holds Canada’s largest competition every July 1 called Beat the Heat. They also provide a Saturday morning program called SkateSkool where local youth volunteer time to teach kids about skateboarding, safety and skateboard etiquette. For more information, visit https://www.medhatskate.ca/.
