At Reefton Who Cares, we have been making some changes in response to the recent community survey we did. It has taken some time but we have been working hard to try and make Who Cares House into the organisation the community wants it to be. Now things are starting to come together we want to take some time to let the community know what is happening and what we hope the future holds.
As part of rebuilding the organisation, we are putting an emphasis on the community house, as not just a place to have a cuppa but a place to connect. We want the community house to become a hub, a place where you can go to connect with services, catch up with news, get some work on the computers done or get involved and help out. Below we will go over some of the changes we are making in a little more depth.
New Service Providers
Part of our mission has always been helping the community have access to important services. So we have reached out to other organisations, including PACT group and Buller Reap, to form working partnerships and help bring their expertise and services to Reefton in a way that works for the community. Michelle, the Community Connector, for PACT has already started helping the community by bringing her services to Who Cares House on a Friday and Buller Reap is using the community house as a venue for their Driver Theory course. Whilst it is still early, we are will continue to work on building more partnerships and bringing more services into the community house that can benefit the community.
If there are any services you would like us to add or any other organisations you would like us to connect with please let us know.
Volunteer Program
One thing the survey highlighted was a desire for more volunteering opportunities, people wanted to have something to do, a way to give back to the community. Also on the other side some people need a little extra help. So we came up with a new program to help connect these people together. Our volunteer program will connect someone who needs help with someone who can provide that help. Volunteers will be put through a simple training course first and the types of assistance they offer will be limited to more everyday things, like help weeding the garden, stack the wood, changing a light bulb or even just some company. This program is still in the development stage, but those who wish to become a volunteer are more than welcome to register their name with us and we will contact you when we are ready to launch the program.
Community Garden
Gardening is more than just growing food or beautiful flowers. So we are creating a community garden that can benefit the whole community. We will have a mix of vegetables, fruits, herbs and more ornamental plants. We also hope to provide courses in sustainable practices, cooking and more to go along with the community garden so we can offer a holistic experience for the community. We are still working out the finer points but we hope to have a group of volunteers that will work on a roster to open and gardens and supervise while they are open.
Car Service
The car service has been one of our longest running services and we don’t want to stop this. Instead we want to expand on this and make it more useful than ever. Whilst the car service has always been there for medical and professional appointments, this isn’t changing, but it is also now available for around town errands as well. So you can still get a ride to your medical appointments out of Reefton, but you can also get a ride so you can go do the groceries or pick up prescriptions. It will still be run using volunteer drivers, so availability will depend on a driver being available. Also whilst there is no fee for the service, it does cost money to provide this so we want to be honest with the community about this and let you know we really do need koha (donations) when you use this service.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer driver please get in contact with us.
Technology
We are also putting in a small ‘computer hub’ together for the public, which consists of 2 computers and a printer/scanner/copier. You will be able to come in and use the computers and do printing and copying all from the comfort of the community house. Whilst you can do most of what you want on the computers they are not there to watch movies or shows on. But we do now have a TV in the community house which we plan on using on cold or wet days to play movies and shows on for people can come a and watch something and just relax.
We are also in the process of putting together a technology skills program for all types of devices. So please let us know if there is anything you want included in this.
Whilst we we are excited about the changes at Who Cares House (and we hope you are too) we also hope this is just the start. Our aim is to work with the community and continually adjust and change our services to suit you. We want Who Cares House to have a future and to be useful. So we encourage you to get in touch with any suggestions or feedback, so we can keep moving forward.
Nga mihi nui
Thank you very much
