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By Scott Roblin

Summer Camps Suspended

Medicine Hat College puts summer camps on hold

May 26, 2020 | 5:21 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Local families will have one less place to send kids this summer, as Medicine Hat College has suspended all camps and summer sports programs.

According to MHC, they reviewed the provincial re-launch strategy and determined that they would not be able to run the camps at a level families expect.

“It’s a tough decision to not have summer camps available at this time,” said dean of student services and registrar Sandy Henderson. “We’ve been receiving a lot of calls and questions from the public. Obviously, with the COVID situation safety of all of our staff and our community is the most important thing right now.”

Although Henderson did not have details on the number of locals who use the summer camps every year, he said the program usually attracts hundreds of kids.

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As for what the cancellation of summer camps will have on the college’s bottom line, Henderson said it’s one of their most relied upon sources of income when school is out.

“It would be an impact for us for sure in terms of revenue,” said Henderson. “Of course, we’re not running them and it is a source of revenue during the summertime. But, obviously the safety comes first before the revenue.”

The door remains open slightly for camps returning however, as the college will watch what steps the province takes in re-opening over the coming weeks.

“We’re starting to see guidelines for re-opening coming out from the province, as those evolve we’ll certainly take a look at them,” said Henderson. “If we are able to run a camp in a safe manner that allows our campers to have a great experience, then we’ll certainly take a look at that. And, we would certainly let people know at that point.”

Summer camps through the College Child Development Centre on campus have also been suspended until further notice according to a release by the college.

A decision on how classes for the 2020-21 school year will be rolled out has not yet been announced by MHC, though Henderson said they’ll be releasing details in the coming weeks.

National award

Medicine Hat College received some welcomed news on Tuesday meanwhile, as the Rattlers athletics program received the CCAA Community Service Award.

The award is handed out every year to a collegiate program that has ‘successfully developed and administered a community relations program’ and was awarded to the Rattlers for their ‘Celebration of Women and Girls in Sport’ initiative.

Hosting the 2020 ACAC Women’s Volleyball and Basketball Championship tournaments this spring, the Rattlers celebrated female athletics at both the collegiate level and those young athletes in community.

In a statement, sport and wellness manager Terry Ballard said it was two weeks that made an indelible impact on athletics in Medicine Hat.

“I can honestly say that during the operations of these two conference championships, we changed lives – that was impactful,” said Ballard. “Some girls will remember this experience forever and will now stay active and stay in sports for life.”

It’s estimated more than 7,500 fans attended the tournaments and between 400-600 local girls took part in the festivities in various aspects.

This is the second straight year the Rattlers program has received the Community Service Award by the CCAA.