Tag: maroondah citizens advice bureau

Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau 2011 Annual General Meeting

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The Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau is in its 43rd year and provides emergency relief for people in need, information referral and support.

Today’s Annual General Meeting elected committee members for the 2011/2012 year who provide ongoing direction for this vital community organisation. I had previously been a committee member of the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau since 2007 where I assisted in the planning and delivery of their business plan.

This plan led to modernisation of the service, including database systems for clients and referral agencies, improving efficiency and ensuring up-to-date records and information. The plan also strengthened the marketing of the organisation through a website, as well as ensuring consistent promotional materials and publicity.

Governance reforms were also undertaken providing delegated authority for the office administrator and a clear distinction between paid staff and the committee of management.

I chose not to re-nominate for the committee given that I felt that the changes over the past few years helped deliver an ongoing and sustainable future for the organisation.

For further information on the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau please visit www.mcab.org.au.

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.

42nd Annual General Meeting for the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau

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The Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau has offices in Ringwood and Croydon within Maroondah, where they provide referral services and emergency relief.  The organisation is operated largely through volunteers, who need to complete a training course before they can provide assistance to people in need of their services.

This afternoon the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau held its 42nd Annual General Meeting, electing committee members for the upcoming year and to provide an overview of changes within the organisation over the past twelve months.  Like many community organisations, the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau has had to adapt to changing community needs and as a result has focused on developing a range of policies to outline roles and responsibilities.

I re-nominated as a committee member at the AGM and was invited to discuss current issues within Maroondah,   including the redevelopment of Eastland, the former Ringwood Market site and Ringwood Station.  Works on the Station forecourt and bus interchange are expected to begin towards the middle of this year and will help in improving the appearance of the Station.  These works however will not resolve the issue surround the lack of disability compliance standards for Ringwood Station and further funding is required to ensure the creation of a safe, accessible and integrated transport interchange.

Priorities for the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau include an upgrade of their computer systems to improve connectivity between the two offices and ensure that information is maintained and up-to-date.  The Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau requires additional volunteers, please visit www.mcab.org.au for further information.

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 – 2009 Volunteers Luncheon

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This afternoon I joined the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau for their end of year volunteers luncheon. The Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau provides emergency relief and referral services for some of the most vulnerable members of our Maroondah community.

Interviews and service provision is conducted entirely by volunteers in what is often a demanding and challenging role. Unlike many other volunteer activities, volunteers within the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau are required to undertake a compulsory training course to ensure that they have the required skills to speak and assist clients. This requires a significant commitment from volunteers and it is great to see a number of new volunteers join the organisation in recent months.

This year has been one of significant change for the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau, including the introduction of new policies to assist in the governance and operations of the organisation.

It is fantastic to see such a strong level of interest and commitment towards assisting people within our Maroondah community.

Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau Website

Posted on by alex

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.

Policy Workshop for the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau

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This afternoon I facilitated a workshop for the Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau to develop policies to assist the organisation in delivering its services to the community.

The Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau was formed through the merging of the Ringwood and Croydon offices in 1996 but began as the Ringwood Advisory Service in 1967. The organisation provides emergency relief, as well as advice and referral services on a free and impartial basis.

A policy consists of a statement of purpose and broad guidelines to identify desired outcomes. Once adopted procedures are developed that ensure compliance to the outcomes specified in the policy.

Policy formulation is one of the responsibilities of a committee of management and are designed to provide clear expectations and improve the accountability of an organisation. While policy formulation is a committee responsibility it is important that volunteers and staff have input into policies, to ensure that their opinions are taken into account.

Today’s policy workshop provided volunteers and staff with the ability to discuss the currently prepared policies and to ensure that their aims reflect the organisation. Participants were encouraged to discuss their thoughts and to provide input into how the policies would assist in the delivery of the services provided by Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau.

The input from the workshop will be incorporated into the policies and they will be taken to the next Committee of Management meeting for final adoption and consideration. Copies of the policies will be available at both offices to ensure that volunteers and staff are aware of their existence and content.

Policy formulation is an ongoing challenge for organisations and yet they are required to ensure consistency and good governance. Policy development can be a positive experience if discussion is encouraged.

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.