Our History
Our History
Southwest Community Options Inc.
In February 1999, the Manitoba government announced the closure of Pelican Lake Centre, an institution located on the north easterly shores of beautiful Pelican Lake and a major employer in the Ninette and surrounding areas.
Following the closure announcement, a need for services for people living with intellectual disabilities and families wishing to remain in the Ninette area was identified and Southwest Community Options (SWCO) Inc. was created to meet that need.
SWCO is governed by a dedicated volunteer Board of Directors, whose members share a vision that all people are accepted and valued as contributing members to society. The first organizational meeting was held on February 7, 2000 and the Board and staff of SWCO have continued to work tirelessly to address the unique needs and provide support to vulnerable persons. SWCO was certified as a corporation on March 10, 2000 and qualified as a registered charity on April 1, 2000.
SWCO currently has four residential locations, located in Killarney and Ninette. Our head office and day service program are located in Ninette. The people we support work diligently Monday-Friday at the day service program in our Secret Seconds ‘n More store, which provides a clean, bright, and cheerful shopping experience and also our café, where we sell specialty coffee and drinks along with breakfast sandwiches, cinnamon buns and various sweet treats.
SWCO strives to involve and engage the people we support to become included and valued members of their communities. We have people employed in various businesses throughout the community including, Terry Fox Park, Pelican Lake Yacht Club and Meals on Wheels. They also volunteer their time at different venues such as bingo, church and other activities throughout the year.
The annual budget for Southwest Community Options Inc. is approximately $2.5 million, which has a direct economic impact in our community by providing employment to many local citizens, purchase of local goods and services, property taxes, utilities, vehicle and property maintenance and fuel.