Virtually volunteer site

– Paul Pickering
A PHILANTHROPIC revolution is building in Knox as a community coalition prepares to take volunteering into cyberspace.
The Volunteer4Knox project – a partnership between the Knox Community Volunteers, the Neighbourhood House Association and Knox City Council – is an innovative bid to create a virtual hub for volunteers in the Knox region.
The project, which received funding from the State Government’s Department of Victorian Communities Volunteer Support Program Grant Scheme, will provide volunteers and not-for-profit organisations with a place to share resources, promote, support and strengthen the development of a Knox volunteer community.
As project officer Kim Hill explained last week, the initiative was conceived as a way of not only uniting existing volunteers but also of providing volunteering opportunities to people who would otherwise be unable to lend a hand.
“The feature that will make this portal unique will be the virtual volunteering component that will enable individuals to volunteer without leaving their homes,” she said.
“Many people look for volunteer opportunities they can complete via home or work computers because of times constraints, a disability or a home-based obligation that prevents them from volunteering on-site.
“Virtual volunteering is a great way to do this.”
While the Volunteer4Knox website is only in the development stage, a makeshift Wikispace site at volunteer4knox.wikispaces .com is now in operation to allow volunteers and organisations to offer their ideas and input into the project.
Among those contributing to the website’s development have been seven Deakin University graduates, Interchange Community Balance volunteers, members of the Knox Photography Society and St Joseph’s College VCE student Cain Hill.
“The community have really got behind this project and offered their time and support,” Ms Hill said.
Volunteers or groups interested in becoming a member of the site, or simply contributing to the process, should contact Ms Hill on 9729 9499.