South Lane Wheels, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has been providing reliable, accessable transportation to residents of rural South Lane County, including senior and disabled citizens, for nearly a quarter of a century. SLW has recently extended these services to citizens of rural North Douglas County.We are lead by a Board of Directors of seven leading citizens of Cottage Grove and a mix of 18 paid and volunteer staff SLW provides more than 24,000 rides annually covering more than 200,000 miles, connecting people with essentials for life – medical, nutrition, work, shopping, social opportunities and more.Established in 1980 as a volunteer organization bringing senior citizens to medical appointments and religious services, South Lane Wheels has evolved greatly over the past 25 years.We have become essential to the functioning of this community and various nonprofit organizations by providing transportation throughout the region as well as the leadership to promote collaborative efforts that help make Cottage Grove an All American City.
Although transportation is our core mission, SLW has another vision to assist other nonprofit agencies in our area by providing professional office space at minimal expense. To do that, we've been making some changes. We have moved into our new facility at 1450 Birch Avenue in Cottage Grove. This was a huge step for us since we now own the building....with no Mortgage. After moving in, we determined that we had a lot of quality space that could be used by other nonprofits, plus common area that include a board room, training room and patio for use in training and fundraising. So far, the Cottage Grove Community Foundation, McKenzie Personnell Systems, Planned Parenthood and a nonprofit union local have made our facility their home. Our buildilng is now called the Churchhill Center for Nonprofit Excellence in the memorary of Minnie Churchill, who gave us much in both life and death. Her estate made it possible for us to purchase the facility.
Our new home used to be the Internal Medicine Clinic at the old Cottage Grove Community Hospital. We are currently renovating it to be more suitable for our use and the use of our tenants.
