Tag: citizens advice bureau

Opening the new Maroondah Handicrafts Store

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Maroondah Handicrafts, is a not-for-profit cooperative that was formed in 1975 to provide an opportunity to bring people together with a common interest in making handicrafts. The group established a shop in Ringwood East and has been trading for over thirty years.

This afternoon I was invited to launch Maroondah Handicrafts new store in Heathmont, located at Shop 3, 95 Bedford Road. The organisation is entirely volunteer operated and donates its profits back to the community, including groups like Scope Ringwood, the St Stephen’s Community Living Centre and the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau.

Maroondah Handicrafts has a range of excellent wares and I encourage the community to support the organisation and in turn other groups within our community. Maroondah Handicrafts is located at Shop 3, 95 Bedford Road in Heathmont.

Ringwood East Traders Fair

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The Ringwood East Traders Fair, located at Railway Avenue, Ringwood East involves local traders and stallholders who provide a market for the local community.

The fair includes a barbecue and a raffle which is drawn at midday. Proceeds are donated to a nominated community organisation, which is chosen by the business that organises the fair for that month. Past recipients have included the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau, where money was raised to purchase much needed food for emergency relief.

The traders fair is held on a monthly basis on the first Saturday of the month and will return in 2010.

Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau Website

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The Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau is a not-for-profit community organisation which provides advice, referrals and emergency relief to people in need.

The organisation provides monthly training sessions for its volunteers to encourage the development of new skills and to provide an opportunity to keep volunteers informed of activities within the organisation.

This afternoon I conducted a training session on the organisation’s new website. The Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau has not previously had a website presence and hence the training session provided an overview of the website and its content.

The website is managed using a content management system which means the committee of management will be able to readily add and modify content on the site. The website is designed to promote the organisation to prospective volunteers, clients and donors and hence needs to cater to three diverse target groups.

The website is expected to finalised at Monday’s committee of management and will then become publicly available on the Internet.

Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau Policy Adoption

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Policies and good governance help ensure a sustainable future for a non-profit organisation, through outlining acceptable behaviour and providing clarity and certainty for staff, volunteers and the committee of management.

This afternoon the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau committee of management formally adopted polices covering several areas of the organisation, including volunteer recruitment, the committee of management and dispute resolution.

These policies will assist in clarifying roles and responsibilities and outline the requirements for volunteers and staff within the organisation.

Several workshops were held to ensure that the policies reflected the organisation and to gain feedback from staff, volunteers and the committee of management.

Copies of the adopted policies will be available at both the Croydon and Ringwood Office and new volunteers will be provided with a copy.

Further policies are now being developed to further enhance the governance of an organisation.

To ensure that the policies remain relevant they will be reviewed every three years and checked on annual basis.

Delegates' Report: Community Houses, water conservation and upcoming conferences

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On the 24th of March I attended the Ringwood Precinct Open House, which provided an opportunity for residents living within the Ringwood Central Activities District and namely the residential area to the west of Ringwood to actively engage council and discuss any concerns they may have.

It was great to see a strong interest from the community and discussion with council around areas such as Eastland, Ringwood Station, open space and traffic. I would like to thank the many staff across all areas of council who engaged the community and took the time to hear and provide feedback.

There were three annual general meetings that I attended over the past month, including the North Ringwood Community House on the 24th of March. North Ringwood Community House is the only community house in Maroondah which is a registered training organisation and as a result they provide TAFE accredited Certificate III and IV training courses, in areas such as Aged Care, Palliative Care and Disability Services.

As I’ve reported previously, the priority for the house is to find a new location which will improve its accessibility and provide additional rooms to cater for increasing enrolments. The house recently submitted its grant application for feasibility study funding through the Department of Planning and Community Development.

The following day on the 25th of March I attended the annual general meeting for Central Ringwood Community House based in Bedford Park in Ringwood. Central Ringwood Community House provides an emphasis on computer training courses, as well as educational services to migrant communities and many other areas of interest for our community. The house is continuing to experience ongoing growth and has plans to improve accessibility and provide additional classroom facilities.

The Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau AGM was held on the 1st of April and provided an opportunity for its membership to meet their new office manager and report on the ongoing growth in their emergency food relief. The guest speaker for the meeting was from the Primary Care Partnerships who spoke about food security and the difficulties some households are experiencing in purchasing fresh and nutritious food.

On the 4th of April I attended the launch of the Ringwood Bowls Club Water Reclamation Facility. The project provides three water tanks and a water retention system collecting water from the roof, adjacent roadways, the car park and their greens resulting in a capacity of 280,000 litres. It is estimated that the facility will conserve 1.5 million litres providing significant water savings. This project was the culmination of cooperation between all levels of government, Federal, State and Local, which included a grant from Council’s Water Sustainability Fund.

Lastly, Eastern Volunteers have organised a conference for the 13th and 14th of May exploring volunteer, social inclusion and community wellbeing. For details, including registration and the conference program, please visit their website at www.easternvolunteers.org.au.

Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau 41st AGM

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The Maroondah Citizens Bureau is a non-profit community based organisation that aims to provide a range of support services and referrals for people in need, in order to enable them to be independent and effective members of the community.

Today’s annual general meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on the changes within the organisation, including the appointment of a new office manager and an emphasis on improving governance through the development of new policies and procedures. These efforts will ensure that the organisation can continue to provide its services to people in need and make it easier to recruit and retain volunteers.

The guest speaker was from the Outer East Primary Care Partnerships, a network of health providers, who spoke about food security within Melbourne’s outer east. Food security examines the ability of a community to be able to afford nutritious food, as well as the proximity and location of fresh food. Over ninety percent of clients who access the Citizens Advice Bureau requested food relief, demonstrating that affordability of food is increasingly becoming an issue within Maroondah.

Given that little food is grown locally within the outer east, rising transportation costs are of a particular concern and the presentation did explore the potential for more locally produced food within the region.

The Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau exists to serve people in need and is acutely aware of the growing financial pressures on Maroondah residents and households.

Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau meeting

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The Maroondah Citizens’ Advice Bureau began in 1967, with the founding of the Ringwood Advisory Service, which was one of the first advisory services at the time. The organisation became known as the Maroondah Citizens’ Advice Bureau Inc. following council amalgamations in 1996.

The Maroondah Citizens’ Advice Bureau delivers crucial support for some of Maroondah’s most vulnerable residents through providing advice, food assistance and referral services. The organisation is largely volunteer driven and maintains offices in both Ringwood and Croydon.

The Committee of Management meets on a monthly basis to enact policies and discuss the direction of the organisation. I have been a committee member of the Citizens’ Advice Bureau since mid 2006.

Rotary Club of Ringwood – 'my life, my job'

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The Rotary Club of Ringwood, as part of Rotary International has a focus on fellowship and service for the community. To encourage fellowship, new members are encouraged to present an introductory speech entitled ‘my life, my job’ to discuss their occupation and interest in Rotary.

Tonight I was invited to deliver my introductory speech, where I was able to discuss my involvement in transport and environmental advocacy, as well as my election and subsequent re-election onto the City of Maroondah and my professional background in marketing and IT. Within the speech I discussed the many issues I have been involved in as a councillor, including advacing Maroondah’s approach to reconciliation, the retention of public parklands and committee involvement within the Croydon Conservation Society, Eastern Volunteers, the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau and North Ringwood Community House.

I also discussed potential opportunities for Rotary involvement within projects, such as the relocation of North Ringwood Community House, and areas where we can strengthen social inclusion and tackle disadvantage within our community. Organisations like Rotary can assist in creating a more inclusive society though working in partnership with other community groups.

I believe that I can bring my knowledge of communtiy groups to assist Rotary in delivering better outcomes for Maroondah and the wider region. I look forward to my ongoing involvement within Rotary and working together to improve our community.

Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau – 2008 end of year function

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The Maroondah Citizen’s Advice Bureau provides emergency relief and referral services for some of Maroondah’s most vulnerable residents. The Bureau is staffed almost entirely by volunteers and today’s end of year luncheon provided an opportunity to thank the committed individuals who dedicate their time to assist other people in need.

This year has seen a number of significant changes within the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau, including the adoption of a new business plan and the creation of a new office manager position. This position will manage both the Ringwood and Croydon offices and will have an emphasis on securing additional funding and volunteer recruitment.

Applications for the position have now closed and the committee of management is currently considering applicants for this position. The appointment of a new office manager will help ensure the sustainability of a service that has existed since 1967 and has a long history within Maroondah.

Thank you to all our volunteers for their dedication and commitment over the past year.

Media Release: No show candidates proves lack of commitment

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Alex Makin, a candidate for the Mullum Ward has slammed the council candidates who failed to attend a community forum at North Ringwood Community House.

“It is bitterly disappointing that a council candidate would choose to ignore a designated candidates’ forum”, Alex Makin, candidate for the Mullum Ward said. “This lack of attendance clearly demonstrates that some candidates lack the genuineness and sincerity required for council.”

The candidates’ forum was held at North Ringwood Community House on Wednesday the 5th of November. Several topics were discussed, including the relocation of North Ringwood Community House, Ringwood Station and climate change.

The forum was attended by Alex Makin, Jo-anne Taylor, Peter Feeney and Nora Lamont. Ann Fraser, Mary-anne Lowe, Sam Nahoum, Samantha Marks, Sherlye Griffiths and Tony Dib all failed to attend.

“I applaud the candidates that took the time to attend the forum as this demonstrates that they are sincere about standing for council. I urge the community to support a candidate that speaks to their local community and not someone that hides away and is a no show for public events”, Cr. Makin concluded.

About Alex Makin:

Alex Makin was elected in November 2005 as the Councillor for Loughnan’s Hill ward in the City of Maroondah. Alex, currently the youngest councillor elected within the history of the City of Maroondah, is involved with the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau, Croydon Conservation Society, the Ringwood Spiders Football Club, North Ringwood Community House, Eastern Volunteers and the Disabilities Action Group. Alex has a regularly updated website and blog at www.alexmakin.com.au.

ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES: ALEX MAKIN ON 0409 136 213

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