[va_lcg_act] Fw: VA LCG Reminder and March Volunteer Newsletter

  • From: "Robert and Judith James" <randjjames1@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <va_lcg_act@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2014 16:38:55 +1100

Hi VA LCG members,
Just a reminder that we meet on Wednesday at 1:00pm in the VA Office, bring 
your lunch at 12:30. Anne Menon will be our guest. You will see from the 
Volunteer Newsletter something of Anne's style, come and support her with your 
ideas.
Also at our meeting I can report on the Regional Client Com. which met lst 
night. We had with us Michael Simpson the NSW/ACT General Manager and I had a 
conversation with him about problems experienced by clients with VAILS, if you 
use audio books, this will interest you. The next RCC meeting will be at 
Enfield and I am looking for a representative to attend as I will be overseas.
Lastly, the National Gallery of Australia has a free descriptive tour of Inca 
Gold on Saturday at 2:30pm. A guide will take VIPs and their companions through 
this marvelous exhibition. Please ring NLA to record your intention to attend. 
Yours,
Bob James [if you need to reply to me use my email randjjames1@xxxxxxxxx]



----- Original Message ----- 
From: Anne Menon 
To: Robert (Bob) James 
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2014 2:04 PM
Subject: March Volunteer Newsletter
  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Canberra & Orange                                                              
March 2014                                                                      
                                                         

 

 

 

A message from Ron Hooton our CEO,

 

Last month's newsletter introduced Vision Australia's new Strategic Plan 
2014-2018 and I am hoping that most of you will have already obtained a copy 
and had a chance to read through it. If you haven't, please contact your 
Coordinator of Volunteers or go onto our website to view the new plan. If there 
are any areas of the new Strategic Plan you would like explained further, 
please contact your Coordinator of Volunteers or local Team Manager. 

 

Some of you will have been part of our consultative forums - there were 15 held 
at 12 sites last year to ensure that we had a really good cross section of 
views on the way forward from our clients, their carers and families, staff, 
volunteers and donors. These forums have given us the confidence that our new 
plan will take us into the future in ways which will best support our clients' 
needs. If you were able to take part, you have helped create this new Plan - 
thank you.

 

While our Strategic Plan has new emphasis in some areas and new directions for 
us to work towards, there are no overnight changes.  We are counting on you, 
our volunteers, to generously continue to support our clients in the very many 
ways you do. We could not continue to run the range of services we provide 
without you.

 

Our new Strategic Plan is essential - it will enable Vision Australia to remain 
sustainable into the new and more competitive future which personalised funding 
will create. We continue to support the right of people with disability to be 
independent and have choice over where they go for services and we are working 
to ensure we will continue to be the leading service provider in the blindness 
and low vision field.

 

Again, I would like to thank you for your generous assistance and to assure you 
that we are very grateful for the support you provide for Australians who are 
blind or have low vision. Their independence is the core of why Vision 
Australia exists and we are very pleased to share our new way forward with you 
in our Strategic Plan.

 

 

Kind regards,

Ron Hooton

 

 

 

 

 

Visit our website to view Vision Australia's Strategic Plan and, if you'd like 
to share your thoughts, feedback and ask questions about the plan, head to the 
discussion board.

 

 

 

 

Vision 2014, the world's leading conference on low vision, visits Melbourne

In conjunction with the International Society for Low Vision Research and 
Rehabilitation, Vision Australia is proud to announce that it will host The 
11th International Conference on Low Vision in Melbourne 31 March - 3 April 
2014. 

 

The scientific program will explore all aspects of the Conference theme: 
Advancing Research, Upgrading Practice and Improving Participation. 

 

According to the World Health Organisation, more than 246 million people 
worldwide have low vision.  And, while more than 90% of people who are blind or 
have low vision reside in developing countries, with an increasing elderly 
population in developed countries, more and more people are at risk of 
age-related vision impairment.

 

Vision 2014 will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 
31 March - 3 April 2014. 

 

 

 

 



Seeing Eye Dogs Australia Open Day!

 

 

 

Date: Saturday 22nd March 2014

Time: 11:30am to 2:00pm

Address: 17 Barrett Street, Kensington VIC

Entry: a gold coin donation at entry.


Be one of the first to visit Seeing Eye Dogs Australia's brand new, state of 
the art Kennel and Breeding facilities in Kensington, Victoria.


Take the opportunity to see puppies playing in their new Puppy Centre. We'll be 
running training, obedience and vet health demonstrations throughout the event. 
There will be a kids colouring competition, raffles as well as our merchandise 
on sale and you can also enjoy a BBQ run by North Melbourne Rotary Club or a 
coffee as you see what our new facility has to offer.


(Please note that pets cannot be brought to the open day).


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anne's Corner

 

Phew, autumn is finally here. We will soon have those gorgeous autumn days and 
cool nights that the area is rightfully proud of. I, for one, cannot wait!  

 

We have some interesting volunteer assignments coming up, so please do give 
them a glance over and thanks to those wonderful people who have stepped up in 
the last month to help with volunteer requests.

We are also knee deep in planning our annual Volunteer Appreciation function; 
please watch next months' newsletter for more information. 

 

Our Volunteer of the month for March is Mr. Bob James. Do you have a volunteer 
you think should be our volunteer of the month for April?  Please, let me know 
your thoughts.  Just click on my photo to be taken to an email form with my 
details on it.

 

Have a great March!  

Cheers

Anne

Coordinator of Volunteers 

Canberra & Orange

 

Definition of a Volunteer: A volunteer is a person who believes that people can 
make a difference - and is willing to prove it.



Volunteer of the Month - March

 Bob James

Has lived in Canberra for about 20 years, previously a Wagga boy. 

How long volunteering with Vision Australia?

About 15 years

Hobbies/memberships

Bob is a keen cyclist  - has toured Germany, the Danube, Czech Republic and 
Austria as well as touring New Zealand and Australia extensively. His most 
memorable place has been his visit to Prague; he was amazed at the variety of 
cultural experiences. Bob has been fortunate in that he has never had a bad 
experience in all his travelling by bike around the world!

Volunteering roles with Vision Australia:   Coaching of tandem riders. Client 
representative and convener of the book club. 

 

 

High point of your time with Vision Australia

Commencement of the local client group and being one of the first client 
representatives.   Learning about Vision Australia in some depth at the client 
level.

Most recent role with Vision Australia: Still working with Vision Australia!

Motto is:  Anything truly worth doing is worth doing badly!  It is better to 
make the effort and do a poor job, than not to try at all!)

 

Bob on behalf of us all at Vision Australia, thank you for your ongoing hard 
work and commitment, it is appreciated.

 

Volunteering - By the numbers

  a.. ACT and area volunteers contribute over $1.5 billion to the ACT economy 
annually! (source: Volunteering ACT)  
  b.. 4.6 million volunteers work with not for profit organisations, with a 
wage equivalent value of $14.6 billion.
  c.. 36% of the adult population of Australia (5.6 million people) volunteered 
in 2010, for a total of 713 million hours- or the equivalent of 371,354 full 
time positions.
"What volunteers bring is the human touch, the individual, caring approach that 
no government program, however well-meaning and well-executed, can deliver." 
--Actor Edward James Olmos

 

 

Have you worked with Vision Australia in the past month?

 

Please let me know any hours you have worked for and with us. An email is fine, 
and a call is always appreciated.   It's an indication of how seriously we take 
your time and expertise, that this information is required monthly by our head 
office! 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

  a.. Personal Reader - Canberra, for a client who has a large library of 
books. He is keen to be able to discuss books during/after the reading. A great 
assignment for the literati among us.
 

  a.. Crossword enthusiast - Canberra - Share your passion for crosswords with 
this client, doing crosswords with them in their home.
 

  a.. Drivers - Canberra - Transporting clients to various activities and 
appointments as needed. We are always in need of volunteers, with a clean 
driving license and their own car to undertake this vital task.  
 

  a.. Volunteer Host for Induction Training - Canberra - Set up and break down 
of meeting room, administration and COV support for the day. Will be required 
approximately 1 day per month at the Canberra Vision Australia Office.
 

A big thank you to ALL the volunteers who responded to our request last month 
for people to sew play mats for children with blindness or low vision. We were 
greatly impressed by the response and our early childhood workers are 
delighted, with their new supplies. 

 

 

Please contact Anne Menon, if you are able to help with any of these activities 
or perhaps to share your own suggestions for volunteering opportunities. Love 
to hear from you!

Over to you

Do you have any articles, funny stories, or newsworthy items that the rest of 
our volunteer workforce would be interested in?  Or perhaps you have some new 
ideas for other content.  

Please contact Anne Menon - We would love to hear from you, after all, this is 
your newsletter!

 

 

 

 

 

Let's keep in touch! 

Please let us know if your contact details have changed. 

 

 

 

 

Contact Details: Anne Menon (Coordinator of Volunteers)

Vision Australia:             Level 2, Saraton Building, 22 East Row, Canberra, 
ACT, 2601

Postal Address:      GPO Box 1499, Canberra, ACT, 2601

Phone:                02 6132 5816

Email:                  anne.menon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

      Volunteers have the right to be supported and supervised in your role

      Volunteers have the responsibility to assist in the delivery of service 
as agreed to in your Volunteer Assignment
     Follow Vision Australia on:

       

          

       
     

Please let me know(anne.menon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)  if you would like to 
receive this newsletter by email or post, or would prefer not to receive it at 
all.

 

 

Many Thanks,

 

Anne Menon

Coordinator of Volunteers - Canberra and Orange

Vision Australia

Level 2, Saraton Building

22 East Row

Canberra, ACT, 2601

(GPO Box 1499)

Inter Office:218 816

Phone: 02 6132 5800

Direct: 02 6132 5816

Fax: 02 6132 5821

 

Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections every 
few years, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of 
community you want to live in.

 

 

 



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vision Australia, in conjunction with the International Society for Low Vision 
Research and Rehabilitation, is hosting the 11th International Conference on 
Low Vision in Melbourne - Vision2014. The conference will be held on 31 March 
to 3 April and will showcase a stimulating scientific program from the world's 
leading low vision practitioners and researchers. For more information or to 
register your place visit www.vision2014.org or call the congress secretariat 
on 03 9682 0500.

ABN: 67 108 391 831 ACN: 108 391 831

Vision Australia is a partnership between people who are blind, sighted or have 
low vision. We are united by our passion that people who are blind or have low 
vision will have access to and fully participate in every part of life they 
choose.

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you must not use, disclose, copy, disseminate or print the email or any 
information in it. If you have received this email in error please notify us 
immediately and delete the email and any copies.

Vision Australia is not responsible for any changes made to a document other 
than those made by Vision Australia or for the effect of the changes to the 
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