By CASEY NEILL
NARRE Warren Region Business Group has served an ace for struggling students in Casey.
It donated $1000 to Cranbourne North-based Aiding Casey Education Foundation (ACE) at its AGM at Kilgerron Homestead in Narre Warren South on 12 August.
The business group’s acting president Ross Neilson stepped down and handed the reins to Steve Osborne.
“Ross stepped back into the role very temporarily when our previous president wasn’t able to fulfil his duties,” Mr Osborne said.
“His actions have been much appreciated.”
Mr Osborne said the business group chose a charity to support each year and ACE chairman Leon Shapero made a great case for assistance in a letter to the group.
He’s focused on helping Casey students in Years 6 to 10 to overcome hurdles that might otherwise limit their potential – language, cultural, financial, family fracture and substantial social challenges.
“He’s been basically funding and running that charity for a couple of years himself,” Mr Osborne said.
“He’s put together a good board of management for the foundation and they seem to be doing good work
“What they’d done in the past, in 2014 they were involved with 29 schools within the Casey and provided four encouragement awards of $100 each to each school.
“Each school makes the choice of which four students they want to give the award to.”
Mr Osborne said the business group over the past year had been involved in a series of events called the business showcase series.
“That’s been our major focus of the year aside from normal networking events,” he said.
“We have attempted to bring to other small businesses in the area a number of educational and informative speakers who can help other small business owners with areas that might be of concern to them.
Mr Osborne said these events were run under the auspices of the Casey Cardinia Business Group, of which the Narre Warren group is a member.
“We intend to continue with the series and if possible expand it next year as well,” he said.
“Each speaker is a recognised expert in their particular area. It could be finance, for example, it could be marketing, it could be management.
“We create almost a workshop environment where people can do a bit of hands-on learning.
“They can walk away with something they previously didn’t already know.”
Mr Osborne said membership had been stable but was not growing.
“It’s an area of some concern to us, but it always is to groups like ours,” he said.
“We hope in time the business showcase event will come to be seen as a valuable contribution in the business community and that, we hope, will attract more members.”
He said the group would add at least one networking event to its series next year.
“They’re not designed to be dry things,” he said.
“We inject a bit of fun.”
The group grew from the Narre Warren Chamber of Commerce, has about 35 financial members and supports and represents businesses of all shapes and sizes from Narre Warren and surrounds.
Visit www.narrewarrenbusiness.com.au for more information.
