Home and Community Options (HCO) has been serving the Winona area’s most vulnerable for over 45 years. Those who have made a career of providing support to children and adults with disabilities often share about how rewarding their work is and about the strong relationships they build with their coworkers and those they care for, however there are fewer and fewer people pursuing careers in Human Services.

HCO believes this is a crucial time to be guiding young people to become ethical leaders interested in careers of public service, and is in the early stages of developing a new Servant Leadership program. Servant leadership offers a philosophy, grounded in practical practices, for placing the needs of consumers, employees, and communities first. With this in mind, HCO is boldly moving forward with the goal of developing future employees and leaders who have the critical leadership skills necessary to protect and promote the common good.

In the early phases of this new program, we hope to introduce concepts of servant leadership, such as ethical decision making, the value of caring for/about others, and the importance of creating and nurturing communities of true belonging.  Focus on these concepts will be practically introduced through developmental disability education and career options related to supporting those with physical and/or intellectual impairments. Messaging and education for youth of all ages within the Winona community will be provided about the promotion of the common good and what this particularly entails for those with developmental disabilities.

HCO’s knows that its mission can only be accomplished when those who first seek to serve become leaders for its future. By developing future leaders who have critical skills like resiliency, empathy, stewardship, and empowerment, along with a passion for serving the needs of the community and the greater good as a whole, we hope to encourage our youth to pursue fields grounded in service in order to strengthen our community’s health, wellbeing, and values in the years to come.

Please consider partnering with our agency as we take steps to ensure the health and vitality of our organization and community for generations to come.

HCO has already secured funding to begin this project.  If you would like more information about this new initiative, or are interested in adding your name to our growing list of project partners, please reach out to Suzanne Horstman, Executive Director of Home and Community Options, via email at suzanneh@hco.org or by calling HCO’s Main Office at (507)452-1021.