COARE
By: Jerrett Bennink

In April 1997 a group of parents and board members at ErinOak Treatment Center got together to talk about the possibility of some of the older clients, who could no longer be served by ErinOak, starting their own business. Many of these former clients were having difficulty finding full time employment.

On October 6, 1997 COARE, an acronym for Creative Opportunities and Reality Expressions, had their first meeting. Twenty people attended this first meeting but during the one-year development process. COARE membership was narrowed down to the six founding members that make up COARE.  CEEP (Community Entrepreneurial Enterprises Project) funded the 1-year project to see whether or not we could get it off the ground. The company’s first project was a retail venture. COARE developed a designer mug with the slogan "The faster the better". These mugs sold out in a matter of three weeks.

The members of the COARE team decided to be a product design company. For a while we were called COARE Design. The company soon discovered the design process would not be cost effective for them to pursue. Using the skills each member possessed COARE decided to set up an E-commerce web site. COARE then put forth a training proposal to Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) in January 1999. This proposal for a one-year business-training program was accepted.

COARE spent the last year at the Halton-Peel Enterprise & Development Center at Hopedale Mall training how to operate a business. The training was 52-week program. The first 26 weeks were used for general business training and the last 26 weeks were uses business development training. The company spent 5 hours a day 4 times a week developing the business. The end result is an E-commerce web site that sells lifestyle products geared toward enhancing the lifestyle for daily living. COARE as now been up and running for one year.

The media has been great to COARE. For example, their Grand Opening received extensive media coverage. CITY TV/Cable Pulse 24, Rogers Community Television 10 Mississauga, COGECO TV 23, Oakville/Burlington, and The Oakville Beaver did stories on the company. Since then the CBC television show "Moving On" featured COARE in January 2000. In March COARE will also be featured in Home Digest Magazine.

COARE invites you to visit them.

• No Ridge Diabetic and Edema Socks with no seams
• Wheelchair Gloves in three different styles

• The Book Clip that holds a book open while you read
• Activ Style Incontinence Undergarments for light bladder control

• The Soap Factory Kit containing:

• Green Apple Shampoo

• All Purpose Cleaner

• Laundry miracle

• A stain remover

Our web site is www.coare.com. If you don’t have Internet access you can get in touch with their Customer Inquires line at (905) 339-2831. COARE will be more then happy to serve you.