New programs in the area are making the southwest a more attractive place to live.

Community Futures Southwest is heading up multiple programs in the area that make an attractive example of the southwest.

The organization that focuses on building businesses and communities that benefit each other and create an overall better community.

One program completed earlier this year was in collaboration with SaskAbilities at an event called Program Talks, showcasing how the organization can help the differently abled.

The event featured different things like loans for equipment needed by disabled people, as well as providing people with health issues the ability to be involved with local businesses.

Kara Thompson, the new general manager for Southwest Community Futures, said that there were not too many people who had taken advantage of them.

"It's money that's been sitting there for a long time that just hasn't been utilized, we wanted a way to try and showcase that to our region that that money is sitting there and available and sitting there for these people with health issues, so that's where we went and asked SaskAbilities partnered employment program if they would like to be on board with us to be able to bring that to the southwest and showcase how he can help them."

Businesses invited to the event include Salvation Army, City of Swift Current, Canadian Mental Health, and Social Services.

Thompson said that they invited the businesses to the event to show how that their clients could benefit from the grants the organization was dividing up.

"All of those organizations work with people with health issues every day and have clients who are looking for ways to better themselves or reach their dreams," Tompson passionately stated. "That's who we invited and brought them together and told them a little bit about each of our programs so they at least have that knowledge when they go back to their clients."

The other project that the organization is working on is their community beautification initiative, in which contributions of money are made to individual communities.

The program also ran last year as well, with 21 communities receiving $17,065 in contributions to make the city look more appealing to the eye.

The program starts up again this year in the fall, with more available for communities to apply again for this grant.

Thompson, the general manager of Southwest Community Futures for just two and a half months, said that she was looking forward to ensuring more people know about the work that their organization does.

"I think a lot of people aren't really sure of what we do and how we can help, so for us, we've been really pushing the awareness piece, trying to make sure that we are here and ways that we can help," Thompson explained. "With the community economic development that we focus on plus our lending of small business funds, I think just being able to grow our communities and working together with these organizations just to help build and sustain our communities is our main focus, we want our communities to be stronger by working together instead of trying to better each organization. I honestly believe that we are going to build a stronger community if we all just work together."