For the Nickle family, giving back to the Hospital isn’t simply about making a donation. It’s about being part of a community that has supported their family and their business for decades and finding ways to support that community in return.
In the summer of 2026, the Nickle family (Randy and Lori, Taylor and Nicole), owners of A&W Kenora, made a $25,000 donation to the Lake of the Woods District Hospital Foundation’s Strengthening Surgical Care Close to Home Initiative.
For Taylor, the reason is simple. “You never know when you’re going to need care,” he said. “It’s about making sure that when someone needs it, it’s available. We want to do everything we can to keep people from having to travel far away.”
In a small community, the need for local health care can feel particularly close to home.
Being such a small community, it’s not hard to know people impacted by anything. We’re connected with everyone,” Taylor said. “This community has shown us tremendous support and we want to be sure we’re taking care of our community.
The Nickles have experienced that community spirit firsthand through their business and the causes they support. This year, A&W Kenora raised almost $45,000 for the MS Society; the most the restaurant has ever raised and its sixth consecutive year as the #1 A&W fundraiser in Canada.
But the Nickles don’t see that success as theirs alone. “We didn’t raise $45K ourselves – it was the community that did it,” Randy said.
Supporting Surgical Care
The family’s decision to support surgical care has a personal connection for Randy. When he moved to Kenora in 1993, he got to know Doug Dufresne and saw firsthand how deeply Doug valued community and giving back.
When the Dufresne family made a transformational $1M gift, in memory of Douglas and Michael, to launch the Strengthening Surgical Care Close to Home Initiative, Randy saw an opportunity to join a cause that reflected those same community values he saw in Doug.
“This one made sense because how much community meant to Doug,” Randy said. “We’re honoured to be part of something he was so passionate about.”
The Nickles hope their gift will not only help strengthen surgical care close to home, but encourage others to join them. “We want to have others step up too,” Randy added.
For the Nickle family, supporting local health care is ultimately another way of being part of the community they call home.
The community has supported their family and their business. Now, they’re helping take care of the community that has taken care of them.