Tag: Rotary

Rotary Club of Ringwood – Support and employment for our youth

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The Rotary Club of Ringwood, is part of the wider Rotary network through District 9810 and while each club is largely autonomous they do cooperate on regional projects.

Rotary clubs within the District were heavily involved in fundraising through the Eastlink Open Day and tonight’s guest speakers from KYM Employment Services received $1,500 from the Rotary Club of Ringwood through these efforts.

KYM Employment Services was formed in 1998 through a merger of organisations within Maroondah, Knox and the Yarra Ranges

KYM Employment Services is a community based not-for-profit organisation that has sites within Boronia, Ringwood, Bayswater, Camberwell and Glen Waverley.

The organisation provides support and training services for young people with the aim of encouraging high school completion or alternatively assisting younger people through a range of accredited training courses.

KYM Employment Services links employers with younger people through the Youth Pathways Program and provides support services during the transition from education into employment.

While the organisation’s priority is to try and keep younger people within school, KYM Employment Services recognises that a range of educational options should be available to meet the needs of our youth.

The organisation also delivers other support services to build the confidence of younger people, including regular breakfast and lunch programs, as well as providing advice and peer support.

For further information on KYM Employment Services please visit www.kym.com.au

Delegates' Report: advocacy, fundraising and annual general meetings

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Firstly, I would like to report that the Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee has been reconvened for this year and held its first meeting on the 17th of February.

The primary objective for this year is to oversee the development of Council’s new Wellbeing Plan, which will guide Maroondah’s approach to health, safety and wellbeing initiatives within the municipality. The committee involves a broad cross section of organisations and is well positioned to provide this input.

On the 19th of February I attended a forum on bus services, convened as part of the State Government’s review into bus routes across Metropolitan Melbourne. It is encouraging that the Government is investigating bus routes within Maroondah as there is a need for more frequent bus services and better connectivity across the network. The government has called for public submissions and has extended the deadline for submissions until the 3rd of April. A second workshop will be scheduled for later this year.

I attended two annual general meetings over the past month, including Maroondah Homebiz on the 3rd of March where it is encouraging to see the organisation continuing to strongly represent the growing numbers of small and homebusiness owners within Maroondah. I also attended the Croydon Conservation’s Society AGM on the 12th of March. The organisation is enthusiastically entering its 45th year and maintained a budget surplus over the past twelve months.

Lastly, I participated in a fundraiser for the bushfire appeal through the Rotary Club of Ringwood on the 20th of February, collecting coin donations at the Maroondah Highway and Mount Dandenong Road intersection. I am pleased to say that Rotary raised in excess of $10,000 and would like to thank our community for giving so generously.

Rotary Club of Ringwood – Great Australian Bike Ride

Posted on by alex

The Rotary Club of Ringwood is one of 51 clubs within the Rotary District 9810, which covers the eastern and southeastern suburbs of Melbourne.

Tonight’s meeting featured Gonny Rundell who will be participating in the Rotary Great Australian Bike Ride between the 21st of March until the 10th of October. While most participants complete sections of the ride, Gonny is just one of three people who will be riding the entire 17,813 km trip around Australia.

The Rotary Great Australian Bike Ride will be raising funds for Australian Rotary Health, which is one of the largest non-government source of funds for medical research in Australia.

Since 2000 Australian Rotary Health has been focused on mental health and all money raised through the Rotary Great Australian Bike Ride will be will be directed towards mental health research.

Gonny’s husband John will also be undertaking sections of the trip and together they have set a fundraising target of $65,000. The journey will take Gonny throughout Australia, experiencing a vast array of differing climates and terrains.

To track Gonny’s amazing journey please visit www.rotarnet.com.au/Wantirna, donations can be made at www.greataustrailanbikeride.org.au.

Rotary Club of Ringwood – strengthening fundraising results

Posted on by alex

Like many organisations within our community, the Rotary Club of Ringwood has been eager to assist communities that have been affected by the recent bushfires.

The club’s fundraising efforts at the intersection of Maroondah Highway and Mount Dandenong Road last Saturday raised $10,250 which will solely be used to assist relief efforts.

The Rotary District of 9810, which covers the eastern and southeastern parts of Melbourne (which includes Ringwood) has formed a Disaster Relief Committee to coordinate Rotary’s activities and develop further fundraising efforts.

Tonight’s meeting included two guests from the Rotary Club of Wandin who spoke about the importance of networking with businesses and other community groups to strengthen community fundraising. The Rotary Club of Wandin has continually exceeded its fundraising targets through involving other organisations and informing the community about its projects.

The advice from these speakers will assist the Rotary Club of Ringwood in supporting major community projects through strengthening its approach to fundraising.

Rotary Club of Ringwood: Fundraising for the bushfire appeal

Posted on by alex

One of the key principles of Rotary is Service Above Self, with the organisation and its clubs holding regular fundraising activities to assist the community and people in need.

Today the Rotary Club of Ringwood organised a fundraising appeal to assist people affected by the recent bushfires.

Members collected money from passing cars at the Maroondah Highway and Mount Dandenong Road intersection and it was encouraging to see a number of people giving generously to this worthy cause.

The Rotary Club of Ringwood is currently confirming the amount of money that was raised and all proceeds will be directed towards the bushfire appeal. Thank you to the many people that assisted the club and to everyone that donated money to this worthy cause.

Rotary Club of Ringwood – assisting communities affected by bushfires

Posted on by alex

The Rotary Club of Ringwood is part of Rotary District 9810 which covers eastern and southeastern Melbourne, including areas affected by the recent bushfires.

Tonight’s meeting featured a past Ringwood Rotarian and Marysville resident who spoke about his miraculous escape from the fires that devastated the town.  The discussion focused on the determination to rebuild and the strength of the community in assisting these efforts.

The Rotary Club of Ringwood is assisting the bushfire appeal through coin collections at the corner of Mount Dandenong Road and Maroondah Highway on Saturday and is also planning other activities to assist communities as they focus on rebuilding and recovery.

Support for the bushfire affected communities will need to be ongoing, particularly as the recovery process begins.

Delgates' Report: Groups working for the wellbeing of our community

Posted on by alex

There a few items I will be discussing this evening.

On the 26th of November 2008, I was invited to launch Coloured Emotions, an art exhibition from the Parent Support Network. This was the second exhibition organised by the group throughout the year and it was an opportunity for these parents to convey the challenges in caring for a child with a disability. The calibre of peer support and friendship gained through the group is a testament of Jenny Newman, the convenor, who was awarded the Maroondah Citizen of the Year at the Australia Day Awards.

On the 2nd of December 2008, I attended the launch of Enjoying Planned Retirement’s bocce season. EPR is a group for senior citizens and provides a range of activities for its members. The launch of its bocce season provided a chance for EPR to unveil its new barbecue, which was graciously donated to them by Rinnai Australia, after the theft of their previous barbecue.

Last week I was notified by the group that this new barbecue had been stolen, with the locks broken at its storage facility at Norwood Hall in Ringwood North. It is bitterly disappointing that someone would be so callous and steal from a group like EPR, that exists to provide friendship and support for our senior citizens.

Norwood Hall houses three seniors groups and they are working together to prevent such a theft occuring again. The fact that EPR has been hit by theft twice in two years is extremely disheartening.

Last Wednesday I attended a meeting of the Rotary Club of Ringwood. The Rotary Club is currently discussing projects to assist people affected by the ongoing bushfires. This Wednesday the club’s guest speaker will be a former Ringwood Rotarian and resident of Marysville, who will discuss the assistance that is required for affected communities.

The recovery efforts from these bushfires will be ongoing and as a community it is important that we recognise this and continue to provide assistance where we can.

Lastly, I would like to thank the many community organisations and individuals who have offered their support to bushfire relief efforts. No matter what group I speak to they have all asked how they can assist in recovery efforts. The strength our community shows in times of need and is truly overwhelming. I thank them for their efforts.

Rotary Club of Ringwood – Safe Water, Saves Lives

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The Rotary Club of Ringwood meets each Wednesday evening to provide guest speakers and updates on Rotary projects.

Tonight’s meeting provided an opportunity to discuss a proposal to implement a Farmers Market in Ringwood and a sub-committee has been appointed to assess the feasibility of this concept.

The sub-committee will explore potential sites within Ringwood, as well as ascertain suitable dates and stall composition. As a local councillor covering the Mullum Ward and Ringwood, I have been appointed to the sub-committee to assist in identifying a location and government requirements.

The main speaker for this evening was a fellow Ringwood Rotarian, who discussed the Safe Water, Saves Lives program. An ongoing project that involves the installation of water tanks within remote villages in Papua New Guinea.

The project, which operates at a district level and involves a number of Rotary clubs, was fortunate to receive sponsorship from Mitre 10 and Reece to assist in providing the supplies necessary to construct the water tanks.

The project has been successful in providing remote villages with a sustainable supply of fresh water and alleviating the need for villagers to travel several kilometres for water.

The meeting also included an update on the bushfires and the devastation it is caused. Next week’s meeting will include a former Ringwood Rotarian and Marysville resident who will discuss the recovery efforts and ways for the community to assist.

In times of tragedy it is important that the community works together to provide ongoing assistance to people in need. Next week’s meeting will provide an opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of what is required for the towns that have been hit by bushfires.

Rotary Club of Ringwood meeting

Posted on by alex

The Rotary Club of Ringwood, meets each Wednesday evening at the Ringwood Club on the corners of Oban Road and Maroondah. Ringwood Rotary is part of Rotary District 9810, which covers eastern and southeastern Melbourne.

Rotary is an international organisation with over 1.2 million members world-wide. The core philosophy of Rotary is adherence to the Four Way Test:

Of the things we say, think or do

  • Is it the truth?
  • Is it fair to all concerned?
  • Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
  • Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

I became a member of Ringwood Rotary on the 6th of August 2008 and am currently part of the Community sub-committee, which aims to support community based organisations and undertake community based projects.

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.