At our Club Assembly meeting on Tuesday 24 September we considered a report
from President Carolyn on matters under discussion at our new Rotary Community
Group of 13 Clubs.
The Group is seeking feedback from individual Clubs on five areas upon which we
can cooperate and work together.
The five areas are:
1. Homelessness
2. Mental Health
3. The Environment
4. Interplast
5. Musical Enrichment Program
Our Club is committed to Interplast; the Musical Enrichment Program and they are
well underway.
There were wide ranging discussions, and a number of suggestions were put
forward in each area, including the need for a more integrated approach considering homelessness, mental health.
Major feedback was that on balance, the areas of Homelessness & Mental Health are too big for out Club to tackle. We could assist with other initiatives however we need to be careful not to spread ourselves too thin.
Under the leadership of Neil Heron, we already are doing considerable work on the
environment.
Other key points included:
Insufficient Housing and reasonably priced accommodation are the main
issues.
Opportunities to apply for a Government Grants
Invite groups of people with Mental Health issues to join us on our
Environmental Working Bees.
We continue to support Mornington Community House who in turn support
homeless people. Also look at what Mt Eliza Community House are doing
and possibly support them – this could/would support youth, family
violence, food and housing
Suggestion to support setting up of a “laundry van” like the one/s already
running in inner Melbourne (it was noted that the Mornington Community
Centre may already be doing this)
Provide a “Rucksack “ pack of basic necessities to those in need.
Smaller projects locally that could be supported within our area that are
already underway are Mornington Community and Support Centre &
Fusion and the Chatty Cafe.
Would be good to visit community service providers to gain knowledge of
where fundraising or support could provide the greatest value
On a separate matter, each Committee considered the question of what we should
do on the second Tuesday of each month.
The clear view was that we should undertake more fellowship evenings such as the recent Tar Barrell visit. This could take place maybe every second month.
Other suggestions were to use the alternate month for Home Hosting, visiting other
Rotary Clubs,
There was a view that Zoom not to be discarded completely as it is an excellent
vehicle for accessing interesting speakers that would otherwise not be available
Carolyn Such
