The Official CASE Blog

If you work in the community-service sector in Australia you know that generally the months of December and January can be slow. Not so this year at least, at CASE. Over the past three weeks we’ve diverted some of our resources in order to help efforts to aid Queensland flood victims. Volunteers for Isolated Student’s Education (www.vise.org.au), a long time member and friend of CASE, have been responding to families in need. With VISE’s guidance, CASE has modified the “Online Volunteer Management Service” software we wrote to help manage VISE’s tutor/teacher placements to remote families. With the advent of the floods which VISE CEO Mike Stock AM describes as:

“…unbelievable. TV pictures cannot hope to tell the whole picture…“

members of VISE will now be able to indicate their wish to assist in the flood recovery efforts. This readily accessible list, available to the relevant authorities, will increase the overall capacity of the response especially in remote and inaccessible areas of Queensland and New South Wales.

We’re more than pleased to be able to play a role, however physically distant, in this effort. We wish the VISE team, some now working in danger, our best wishes. We’ll keep you updated as things develop!

Back in 2002 CASE bagan conversations with member organsation Volunteers for Isolated Students Education about the challenges involved in managing over 500 volunteer educational tutors assisting families living in remote areas.

The result of working together over next few years resulted in the creation of a project called the ‘Online Volunteer Management System’ which is now central to the the success and operation of an organisation delivering a service much in demand. The OVMS is without a doubt a project that has supported the great work of many wonderful people who are willing to donate their expertise for a great cause. CASE is very proud to partner with VISE in this work.

Every few years VISE volunteers from NT, QLD, ACT and VIC meet to network and build on their work. CASE President Darrell Burkey has the honour of joining them this year in Melbourne, Vic to ensure that the OVMS project is meeting their needs, to gain a better understanding of the challenges they meet and to plan for enhancements of the system.

Everyone at CASE would like to thank VISE for the opportunity to apply our skills in a way that benefits so many Australians and would like to express our best wishes for the continued growth and success of the organisation. It’s been a real honour to work with the many people who make VISE such a wonderful organisation and we’d like to congratulate them on 21 years of operation!

CASE’s Annual General Meeting wrapped up this evening after a small but pleasant gathering. Patron Sen. Kate Lundy arrived just in time to stop the Web 2.0 version of herself stealing the show and what followed was a relaxed, informal talk about human engagement through technology. After Kate’s presentation we briefly looked at the  year behind us, Darrell detailed VISE’s Online Volunteer Management System (developed by CASE over a number of years), our trip to the Dharriwaa Elder’s Group in Walgett, and welcomed new members Hepatitis C Council of NSW, among others.

Business as usual followed, then the nomination of committee members for the coming year. Darrell Burkey maintains his position as President, Amanda Plowright maintains her position as Vice President and I have been returned as a committee member.

Looking forward to the year ahead!