Medicine Hat College Sport and Wellness manager Terry Ballard is presented with the CCAA Community Service Award, presented to the Rattlers Athletic Association for the second year in a row. The college received the award Tuesday at the CCAA annual general meeting in Kelowna.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
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The Medicine Hat College Rattlers Athletic Association’s community service efforts were once again recognized at the national level.
The Rattlers were named the winner of the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Community Service Award for the second year in a row. The award was formally presented at the CCAA annual general meeting on Tuesday in Kelowna.
According to the CCAA, the Community Service Award recognizes an institution that has “successfully developed and administered a community relations program.”
MHC was nationally recognized as this year’s winner due to the involvement of student-athletes within Medicine Hat and the surrounding areas.
“We are incredibly proud to receive this national recognition. At Medicine Hat College, community is at the heart of everything we do. Our Rattler student-athletes are not only leaders on the court and field, but also in the community, showing up, giving back and making a real difference. This award reflects the passion, commitment and heart our student-athletes bring to every aspect of their lives – as students, athletes and community leaders,” Kristina Hyde, athletics and recreation programmer for the Rattlers, said in a release.
The Rattlers Athletics have previously won the CCAA Community Service Award on three separate occasions: 2019, 2020 and 2024.
Over the past year, the Rattlers student-athletes volunteered more than 5,300 hours within the community. They took part in a Christmas party with 500-plus participants, Special Olympics Alberta – Medicine Hat, “Learn to Skate” sessions for newcomer families, visits to more than 20 local schools and fundraising for the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital and Medicine Hat Health Foundation.
The national award represents a collective effort to support the local community over the past academic year.
