We have had another good $1,000.00 donation over that last week so we have not topped $30,000.00
Plus if you read last week's newsletter you will have seen there is another fundraiser this Sunday.
Big Weekend No. 2 is OVER
We knew it was coming and we knew it would be big but it was really big.
First the Election BBQ. The initial thinking was with the extra early and postal voting it wouldn't be as busy. Wrong. It had never been busier. From the minute they opened the gates at 8.00am till when they closed them at 6.00pm the lines of people waiting to vote were long enough for at least a 2 hour wait.
Plus this year there was even more talk about the "Democracy Sausage" so I think that an even higher percentage of voters decided they would have one.
We cooked egg and bacon rolls, egg rolls, Democracy Sausages and Veggie Burgers all day and every sale was for either $4 or $5 and we took in $5,500.00 in sales so you can see we made a lot of sales. After expenses our profit is in excess of $3,500.00. Naturally, this doesn't just happen we had a lot of people helping at various levels of involvement. We started with James Long and Larry Robb doing the delivery and setup on the Friday and then we had Andrew Georgiou, Ted Dziadkiewicz, Neville Page, Judy Page, Manjula Pragasam, President Sainab Sheikh, Kammy Leung and CL Fok, Ida Whiteman, Susan Robb, Roman Korchev and Herbson. As well Sainab also brought Khadija Alihashi SS,
Then the next day at 7.15 am we set up at the Metro Tunnel site in Laurens St North Melbourne. Things were a lot easier there at the start as everyone was set up for us and all the food was provided but we had 4/6 burner BBQ's to operate and we ended up cooking up a fair menu there too. They had Egg and Bacon Rolls, Sausages, Hamburgers, Veggie Burgers, and Veggie Sausages. Over the day the Tunnel organization had scheduled 1600 guests who were all workers, contractors, and their families to come to inspect the station plus they provided entertainment for them too. Of course, we fed them and while there was the occasional downtime between groups it did go all day until we could stop a bit after 3.00 pm. Thanks again to our helpers there too.
We had James Long, Andrew Georgiou, Larry Robb, Susan Robb, Ted Dziadkiewicz, Manjula, Neville Page, Judy Page, Sainab Sheikh, her friend Marara and Roman Korchev. That's 11 all up inc 9 members.
District Assembly (virtual)
This is really a must for anyone that is to hold a senior role in next year's team. It is on this Saturday 28th May 2022 and is free to attend and being online no travel, no parking, no dressing up.
District Assembly 2022 is where you'll get insight into how District will support your club to grow service, membership, and fundraising.
From getting our warehouse keys until now it’s been a very exciting year!
BREAKING NEWS!
RIMERN has been awarded a coveted Centenary of Rotary in Australia Grant for $25,000 from the wonderful Rotary Club of Balwyn to enable us to buy our own VAN!! This is the best news and we are so grateful to Rotary Balwyn for their generosity!
We’ll soon be swooping on more donated goods and supplying more orders… WOO HOO!
On 16th June 2022 RIMERN (Rotary Inner Melbourne Emergency Relief Network) will celebrate 12 months since moving into our warehouse at 32-34 Lincoln Street East Brunswick, sharing space & costs with strategic partner Canard Solutions who are also significant donors of rehomeable goods for our project. Nearly 12 months on, look at us now!
Fifteen member Rotary Clubs are now members supporting this Centenary of Rotary in Australia Community & Environmental Service project, collecting donated furniture, appliances, and homewares and supplying them to people in need who have been referred by one of our sixteen welfare agency members.
So far we have supplied 101 orders, almost whole house lots of goods to 330 people at a greatly discounted/second-hand value of around $128,558, supported by a growing team of 93 volunteers from member clubs Rotary Prahran, Albert Park, North Melbourne, Carlton, Canterbury, Camberwell, Chadstone/East Malvern, Balwyn, North Balwyn, Glenferrie, Flemington/Kensington, Central Melbourne, Melbourne, Pascoe Vale, Preston AND from wonderful community supporters, many who knew nothing about Rotary before they heard about RIMERN!
Already we have around 840 followers on our RIMERN Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/495145215239091 building widespread awareness and community support and more joining every week!
The demand for RIMERN support is growing every week, with orders coming in from the 84 accredited Case Managers from our agency members (all have to undergo online training before they can order) and our need for quality stocks is growing urgently too. We need help with stocking the warehouse now!
How can you help?
We urgently need good quality stock, contemporary/modern & smaller furniture, appliances including fridges, washing machines, dryers, microwaves and all the basic small appliances, plain colored linen, new/newish towels, bath mats, bedding (no marks, stains or tears), spotless innerspring mattresses & bases (none that need assembly please) in single, double or queen sizes, modern smaller sofas, armchairs, dining tables, low line TV units, bedside units, coffee & lamp tables, smaller bookcases, and modern lamps.
We also need 2 new members of the Donated Goods team, currently a wonderful team of 4 captained by Rotary Canterbury’s Gilly Swinnerton, comprising Rotarians Heather Harris (Pascoe Vale), Joan Luscak (Glen Eira) and donor/community supporter Ros Pach.
OP SHOP COORDINATOR(S)
Someone who can work from home by phone and email, to contact Op Shops in our catchment areas of the cities of Stonnington, Glen Eira, Port Phillip, Melbourne, Yarra, Darebin, Moreland and surrounds, to introduce RIMERN (what we do, what we need, how we can collect the goods or receive then in the warehouse) so that rather than turn away furniture, electrical goods and other items that they may not usually sell, they can redirect the donation to us.
COMMERCIAL APPLIANCE & FURNITURE HUNTER(S)
Someone who is good at sales & cold calling and who can target major furniture retailers who may have seconds, returns, or trade-ins that could be suitable for our needs, to introduce RIMERN & build a relationship that directs their surplus to us. This is a one-by-one approach, requiring research, persistence, meeting them face to face, and maybe hosting their community service or Corporate Social Responsibility coordinator in our warehouse…. It’ll be challenging but SO rewarding if we can get our foot in the door of a couple! If you can help with any of the above, please email donatedgoods@rimern.org.au
Our warehouse team, supervised by Richard Chater on Tuesdays, Keith Ryall on Wednesdays, and Ros McMaster on Thursdays are doing a great job, ably supported by the Goods Selection Hosts, captained by Susan Robb (Rotary North Melbourne) and supported by Yvette D’Mello (Rotary Prahran), Ruth McCall (PE Rotary Preston) & Carmel Jolley (friend of Rotary Balwyn). This team could do with some regular help from fit & fun people who can move furniture selected for orders into the dispatch area & ensure that all orders are complete.
CAN ANYONE IN YOUR CLUB HELP WITH THIS? If so please contact Susan Robb (lsrobb@netspace.net.au) to be rostered on
Volunteering at RIMERN changes lives, it’s local, it’s flexible & most importantly FUN! If you haven’t been yet, please put your hand up, if you have been, please go again.
The need for our help is growing and RIMERN is a way that we can make a difference at minimal cost.
Last Week's Meeting Thursday 12th May 2022
New Members Coming
I am pleased to advise that we now have our first Corporate Membership Application in from Ames Australia. Their membership entitles them to nominate 2 members as full rotary members and they have nominated Lucia Halliburton and Reshma Manandhar.
As well Roman Korchev who has been a great help over the weekend has confirmed he will be filling in the membership application form and will join as well.
If we can get our act into gear we may be able to induct all 3 at the following meeting on Thursday 9th June 2022
Upcoming Meeting
Thursday 26th May 2022 at 6.45 for 7.00 pm
at the Mercure Hotel, Cnr Harker St & Flemington Rd North Melbourne
She will be accompanied by Loretta Drago and Lyn Kirkham who was their cashier at their BBQ
Dad Joke of the Week
I have an inferiority complex, but it's not a very
