New Lloydminster Region Health Foundation CEO Kagan Kneen is stepping into the role with optimism and a clear focus on what lies ahead for local health care.
Read more: Tootoo, Janzen Ignite Lloydminster during mental health event
He officially started on Dec. 8, 2025, after serving as the executive director of the Lloydminster Men’s Shelter.
“It’s a big adjustment. There’s a lot that comes into this role and the position,” said Kneen. “Learning the systems, getting to know the team, getting to know gala committees. There’s a lot of people to meet and relationships start to form.”
Relationships will be a focus for Kneen as he plans to connect with more community partners.
“I think for myself, being new as the CEO, I’m expected to do some shoulder taps. I’m excited to meet a bunch of people and start building some of those relationships,” he explained.
The foundation recently held its first event under Kneen’s leadership.
“(Ignite) went really well. Super well attended,” he said. “Ignite was great, great attendance, good sponsorship.”
Even a last-minute change to the event was handled by the team.
“My team is phenomenal. They were able to get Jessica Janzen to come in and cover for Sarah Wells last minute, same day,” said Kneen.
Looking forward, Kneen says they’ve already engaged with local sponsors for upcoming events.
“I’ve engaged with quite a few (sponsors) for the (health foundation) gala and we have the Synergy Sunrise Run coming up in May,” he said. “There’s a lot of big events to start connecting with some of the donors and sponsors.”
The focus of this year’s gala will be cancer.
“This year with the Gala, we’re really going to be jumping into cancer care, which impacts everybody, or impacted by cancer, somebody they know,” Kneen explained, noting the focus on cancer care won’t just be during the gala.
“There is such a need in our community and it’s great that we have a solution at the hospital. But we can do better and I’m very excited for changes that will be happening from a cancer-care perspective.”
The Synergy Sunrise Run will be returning after a breakout year that saw 350 people registered to participate.
“We’re going to have the 5K that we had done last year, but we’re also going to do a 7K and a mini mile for kids,” he said. “There’s a few exciting changes that are going to be happening to this year’s event. Very excited to hopefully see an increase in participation and obviously raising those dollars for mental health.”
He says the running route will look a little different this year, too.
“It’s going to run through Bud Miller Park and start and finish at Holy Rosary High School,” said Kneen.
The health foundation will partner with 321 Go Running to help make the event happen.
“They do a lot of the back-end work. I’m very excited for this second-annual run,” he said.
Other foundation staples will continue this year, including the annual dodgeball tournament.
“We still have the Gift of Health dodgeball tournament that’ll be happening on Giving Tuesday in December (Dec. 1),” said Kneen, noting volunteers are the backbone of their operations.
“There’s so many volunteers that volunteer so much of their time into preparations for gala and the run, into Gift of Health,” he said.
Work also continues on securing sustainable funding for a local mental health initiative.
“We continue to work with Integrated Therapies for Pathways to Wellness. Really working with the mental health supports. Hopefully, they’re going to find sustainable funding,” said Kneen.
Mental health continues to be an important cause in the community.
“The need for mental health support in our community continues to be super important and we’re grateful for anybody that wants to continue to donate towards mental health supports and our Project Sunrise,” he said.
At its core, the LRHF aims to better Lloydminster.
“We really want to create a healthy and vibrant community,” said Kneen. “At the end of the day, all aspects of health. Mental health, physical health, we just want to give back to the community.
“That could be equipment, that could be furniture, fixtures, equipment for the hospitals, (for) different senior-care facilities.”
He says they also give back to health-related initiatives in the community.
“If it’s programming, that’s what we’ve done with Integrated Therapies for Pathways to Wellness. How do we get additional supports available for those that are in mental health crisis, we try to help,” he said.
While they don’t directly fund operations for programs, they support in other ways.
“If somebody comes up with a project they want to run and don’t have the seed money for it, they can put a funding request into the foundation,” said Kneen. “We want to help develop the programs and then hope somebody else is going to jump on board and take over those additional costs moving forward.
“If it’s a great idea, we will advocate on their behalf.”
Advocacy is another key part of what the foundation does, including navigating bi-provincial complications.
“That’s when it really comes down to going to meet with other foundations and working with government partners in regards to the needs of our community,” he said. “Being that we’re right on the border, we’re talking to Alberta, we’re talking to Saskatchewan, how do we make sure we’re truly working in collaboration with both provinces.”
As Kneen continues to settle into his new role, he encourages anyone looking to chat or build a relationship with the health foundation to reach out.
“I’m an open book, so please feel free to come by, give me a call, send me an email,” he said. “We’re working collaboratively with all the other non-profits who are doing such phenomenal work. Working with other organizations and businesses that are contributing to the success of what we do as a community.”
The foundation is currently running its European Dream Vacation raffle and Faceoff for a Cause. Details on all events and contact information for the foundation can be found at lrhf.ca.
“I’m very excited to see what the foundation continues to move forward to in the future,” said Kneen.
Read more: Kneen grateful for opportunity at men’s shelter
