The work to celebrate the life of women's rights activist Nellie McClung in Manitou has caught the attention of the Economic Developer's Association of Manitoba (EDAM).

The Nellie's Homes Committee fundraised last year to return a pair of 100-year-old houses that had belonged to McClung and turn them into educational attractions. Earlier this month, the committee was honoured for their dynamic

EDAM President Marilyn Crewe presents the Marketing Excellence award to Manitou EDO Bonnie Dobson (on behalf of the Nellie McClung Heritage Site committee). Photo Credit: Carleigh Babiak Photography marketing with an award from the Economic Developer's Association that recognizes the impact the project has had on the community and the wider region.

"We were so honoured," Nellie's Homes Committee rep Barbara Biggar explains. "We approached it from an economic development perspective and said, "come first for the homes and see where Nellie lived and worked, but then tour the rest of the community."

"The real key to success on projects like this is that there has to be a community champion who is the driving force behind the initiative," says EDAM President, Marilyn Crewe. "The passion demonstrated by the committee behind the Nellie’s Homes project is evident and is emblematic of a model that could be used in other communities to create similar momentum and success."

One of the 100-year-old houses was the site where McClung wrote her classic novel, 'Sowing Seeds Of Danny'. The committee also arranged for the transport of the Hazel cottage where McClung boarded as a young teacher.

Biggar notes the homes and other Nellie McClung attractions continue to draw people from across Manitoba and the U.S.