Catherine Hill has dedicated her life to helping others and has a special place in her heart for the most vulnerable people in the community.
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For most of her life, Hill has called Lloydminster home. While she kept quiet about exactly how many years that’s been, she laughed when asked how long she’s been in the Border City.
“I can’t reveal how long because then I’d be telling my age,” she joked, noting her deep roots in the community are undeniable.
A background in counselling and psychology, combined with more than 21 years helping others, has shaped Hill’s mission to support those grappling with addiction, homelessness and mental-health challenges.
“I’m just a real caring person about issues like addiction and homelessness and mental health,” she said. “I take special interest in things like missing and murdered Indigenous women and children. Those are the topics that really mean a lot to me.”
Hill works as an instructor, but her heart is set on something even
bigger.
“If I could do anything, I would have a home for women who are on the street to get off the street,” stated Hill, after some consideration. “And I would develop programs.”
Hill is making meaningful inroads through her work with the Hope Street Team.
“The community connection is very important to me,” she said. “Building connections and relationships with people in the community … that’s such an important part of advocacy.”
The street team’s efforts include hygiene donation drives and collaborations with local organizations like the Native Friendship Centre, which Hill describes as “the hub for all hygiene items.”
The team is also looking ahead to future partnerships.
“We’re going to try to work together with outreaches,” she said, noting ongoing efforts to coordinate with Lloydminster and Vermilion for Equity’s (LVE) greenhouse project to help diversify food options for Lloydminster citizens.
Her path to leadership
Hill’s path to becoming a community leader hasn’t been easy.
“The road has been challenging, lots of pain and growth. Lots of self-improvement,” she reflected.
But she feels she’s landed exactly where she’s meant to be.
“I thought I would be a counsellor of some kind … psychology is my nature. So, I’m on track,” she said.
For Hill, giving back is about more than charity, it’s about rekindling values she feels have been lost.
“We need to model kindness, respect, connection, and helping each other. Trying to bring back some old-fashioned ideas, like helping your neighbour in need,” she said.
When asked about the best part of her day, Hill’s answer was simple and somewhat unexpected.
“Before I go to sleep,” she reflects, “ ‘I did the best I could’ … It’s just that good feeling I did good today.”
Her favourite part of Lloydminster? Unsurprisingly, it’s her work with the street team and the unhoused members of the community.
However, being a woman who makes a difference comes with its own set of unique challenges.
“It comes with a lot of responsibility,” she said. “Sometimes we can be hard on ourselves for not being perfect, but I also know I don’t have to be perfect … just as long as I try to be the best I can be each day.”
She sees a need for broader community support, particularly for local helping agencies, and took time to praise Kagan Kneen and his team at the Lloydminster Men’s Shelter.
“They’ve really cleaned up that area and done a great job. I hope people can move on from what it was, see the potential and recognize the need a little bit,” she said.
Her commitment is personal, shaped by firsthand experience.
“It’s so important to me because I’ve experienced what it’s like to have a loved one out there,” she said. “Lost, affected by mental health and addiction. And there’s no support. There’s not enough support.”
Hill’s mission is clear: build a stronger, more compassionate community, one step at a time.
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