Medicine Hat College Honoured with 2025 CCAA Community Service Award
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The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is proud to recognize Medicine Hat College with the 2025 CCAA Community Service Award, celebrating a year of extraordinary outreach by its Rattlers Athletics program. Over the past year, the Rattlers student-athletes, coaches, and staff dedicated more than 5,300 volunteer hours to initiatives that reached every corner of their community, reinforcing their commitment to service, inclusion, and leadership beyond sport. Among the most impactful initiatives was the second annual PJs for a Purpose campaign, a creative fundraising drive that encouraged fans, students, and staff to wear pajamas to campus and athletic events in support of the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital. Thanks to strong social media engagement and in-game promotions led by student-athletes, the campaign raised an incredible $10,000, doubling its original goal,and funded transforming a pediatric room into a vibrant, multi-sport-themed space. Support for local healthcare efforts remained a focus, with the Rattlers organizing donut sales, game-night fundraisers, and even a massive family Christmas party with over 500 attendees. Student-athletes led every part of the celebration, from game stations and face painting to holiday-themed photo booths, with all proceeds going to the Medicine Hat Health Foundation. The Rattlers’ reach extended into classrooms and gyms across southeastern Alberta, where student-athletes served as coaches and mentors in more than 20 local schools. Through gym classes, skills clinics, and school visits, they helped energize youth sport participation and built lasting connections as role models in the region. Inclusion was at the heart of the Rattlers' hockey initiatives, including a floor hockey game with Special Olympics Alberta – Medicine Hat and “Learn to Skate” sessions for newcomer families, offered in partnership with Ever Active Schools and Saamis Immigration. The Rattlers also found creative ways to promote compassion and sustainability. Their Mascot of the Week campaign, launched in partnership with the Medicine Hat SPCA, helped shelter animals find adoptive homes through campus and social media outreach. Meanwhile, the Coats on Finlay Bridge initiative ensured that warm winter gear was accessible to those in need, offering a message of dignity and care without judgment. Whether collecting e-waste, organizing trick-or-treat events for young families, or mentoring future athletes at Rattler-run youth camps, the MHC Athletics program consistently showed that community service isn’t a side project, it’s who they are. “The spirit of service is woven into everything we do,” said Kristina Hyde, Athletics & Recreation Programmer at MHC. “It’s a privilege to give back, and our student-athletes understand the importance of making an impact beyond the scoreboard.” This marks the second consecutive year that Medicine Hat College has received the CCAA Community Service Award, a testament to the consistency, creativity, and heart behind the Rattlers’ outreach efforts. The CCAA congratulates MHC on this continued excellence and thanks the Rattlers for setting a national standard in collegiate sport leadership and community engagement.
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