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A COMMUNITY organisation has become an invaluable service to St Arnaud residents despite almost closing in 2014.
St Arnaud’s Community Resource Centre treasurer Russell Steel said an audit uncovered a significant debt that many members were unaware of. However, the non-profit and volunteer-powered community organisation has re-established its services to become indispensable to St Arnaud and its surrounding communities. It is just one organisation providing a valuable service to residents in the Wimmera.
Mr Steel said the centre has moved from strength-to-strength in the past four years with the help of a new manager.
“Since Andrew George has taken on the role of manager he has raised the business enormously,” he said.
“Because of this it has generated more interested in volunteering, which has allowed us to provide more services for people.”
The centre offers a multitude of services including a Foodbank, a Centrelink agency, computer and internet access, as well as, secretarial resources.
It also has educational opportunities for people looking to gain skills for employment including barista, food handling and responsible service of alcohol courses.
“While it is hard to see our value from within, we are considered an important and valuable to by our community,” he said.
“We had someone come in to use our computers. Now, normally we charge for the use, but this man was looking for employment. So, we said knock yourself out and use it for as long as you need – and he got a job from that.
“It’s rewarding to feel like if someone came to us with a need, that we could take it on because we have the desire to do so and skilled volunteers to take on almost anything.”
Mr Steel said the volunteers’ drive was inspiring. He said they have added immense value to the organisation and community.
“Our volunteers are remarkable and I think our standards are always rising because we are finding people who are dedicated and totally reliable,” he said.
While providing clients with valuable resources was a priority, he said it was equally important that volunteers have a rewarding experience.
He said the centre’s volunteers not only get to give back to their communities, but they have the chance to develop their skills in a meaningful way.
“We have volunteers with a variety of skills such as creating websites or teaching people about computers and we use the skills to gain maximum benefit for the community,” he said. “And it’s not only rewarding for our community, but for the volunteers who are able to put their skills into practice.”