What Goes Around Goes Around

 

Our Club manages a special trust fund called SEEs to help young disadvantaged young people educate and train themselves to enter the workforce. Previously homeless young people supported and housed by Taldumande Youth Services at North Sydney have been the prime recipients of the fund. To date 38 young people have benefitted from attending employment training programs, TAFE or receiving other assistance including text books, course materials and laptop computers.

After much pain sourcing computers from retail outlets we found out about WorkVentures at Mascot. We were give a lot of advice and were able to buy fully refurbished modern laptops complete with the latest software.WorkVentures are a not-for-profit IT social enterprise company refurbishing computers to as-new using young trainees. They resell their computers at bargain prices and provide extensive technical support. Realizing that our laptops were for Taldumande they have generously donated six units with the promise to donate more.

 

When Jon Gidney found out that WorkVentures would like donations of second hand computers he organised his company Greenhill & Co to donate 24 laptop computers.

 

Greenhill had checked out WorkVentures and felt satisfied that they would 'clean' their computers and if necessary dispose of them safely.

 

It has been a win, win all round. Greenhill is pleased to securely and environmentally dispose of old equipment, WorkVentures has obtained stock for resale and IT skilling of their  young trainees, and the formerly homeless young people of Taldumande get modern equipment to progress their studies to eventually enter the workforce

Peter Antaw

August is Club Membership Month

• Each individual should focus on our public image to promote Rotary.
• At each of our fundraising events such as Fireworks, BBQs, Book Sales & bucket appeals, we need to explain to our supporters that 100% of all money raised goes to a specific charity or charities such as helping homeless youth at Streetwork, Taldumande, or to specific projects like drought relief or to disaster areas.
• We need to promote Pride of Workmanship – involve the local businesspeople as they can tell others of the Rotary story.
• We need to work alongside local schools and sporting bodies.
• We need to communicate with others about our work with youth with the WGH mock interview initiative and youth leadership training courses.
• Need to tell others that our meetings are fun nights with excellent speakers and that we host fun activities such as the Comedy for a Cause.
• We need to keep our community aware of the great things that Rotary is doing and how individuals within our community can be involved by being Friends of Rotary.
• We can promote ourselves by having car bumper stickers and inserting bookmarks into the Book Sale books.
• Determine a potential member’s interest, e.g. their favourite charity and how they raise funds for their charity.
• We need to adopt an elevator pitch to break the ice with a potential member.