Resource Centre many things

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 282, 11 April 1989, Page 16

Resource Centre many things

BY MYRA MACGIBBON Waiouru's Resource Centre is many things to many people.

It is a drop in centre for coffee and a chat for Waiouru people and it is a citizen's advice service giving information about the large variety of interests and clubs in Waiouru.

The people who run the centre volunteer their time. The 'Welcome to Waiouru Programme,' which is a regular activity for the volunteers, involves calling

on families who have recently moved to Waiouru, letting them know of what facilities are available to them. Another activity is the "Friendship contacts," offering support and friendship to those women who are without their extended family support. Nearly all the families in the camp come into this category. During the first six months the centre has been open, it has answered over 300 enquiries, a response which shows that the centre is certainly filling a need in the community. Volunteers are still needed to help out in a variety of ways, either up front or behind the scenes. To help the volunteers the Resource Centre runs training programmes which teach such things as cultural awareness, listenirig skills, community resources and Army protocol. As well as volunteers, the Resource Centre needs sewing, knitting and craft pat-

terns so they can set up a lending library. The centre group asks ladies to hunt through the patterns their children have out grown as others may be able to use them. Coming up soon the Resource Centre will be having a fund raising event in the community

to raise money for a community photocopier, which would be used by the clubs and organisations in the community who do not have access to one. Once again the people of the Resource Centre hope to run some type of school holiday activities for May.