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A Publication Featuring The Information
Services Technology of Maine State Government
| Volume VII, Issue 6 | June 2004 |
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By Kim Goding
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In today’s fast paced, technologically driven society, Maine’s citizens are now more than ever connecting to their communities through their computers. High speed internet, DSL and wireless connections have made it possible for us to renew our vehicle registration on-line, reserve a hotel 3,000 miles away, utilize job telecommuting, and much more. |
Foreseeing this technological advancement and realizing its potential, the Maine Commission for Community Service has recently updated its two web sites to not only bring Maine citizens and non-profit agencies together, but also to advance the way the Commission and its members do business. One of Maine’s few state agencies primarily operating their business through the internet, the commission has made the commitment to move forward with the times.
A quick glance at their new site www.maineservicecommission.gov and the average visitor would think of it as your ordinary web page, but, if you are a member of the Commission, it is anything but ordinary. As part of their duties, Commission members and staff are responsible for logging into the site and posting much of its content. All members have remote access to post minutes, upload reports from meetings, and maintain designated pages. All it takes is an internet connection. "Using the web to do our business is truly is an innovative idea that has ultimately changed the way the commission operates as a whole. Because board members are from all over the state, using our web site has allowed us to communicate more effectively not only with members, but also with the public. We can now do our business all of the time rather than just at monthly board meetings," remarks Maryalice Crofton, the Executive Director of the Commission.
Log into their web site and you will also quickly realize that volunteerism in Maine is alive and well. Along with the Commission’s updates, recent news releases, and links to Maine’s major volunteer agencies are just some of the materials offered by the Commission’s web page. Perhaps one of the most interesting and useful links is to the Commission’s VolunteerME site at www.volunteermaine.org where Maine’s citizens can go to look for community service opportunities and where non-profit agencies seek volunteers. It has become a recruiting station for Maine’s volunteer sector. "The main goal of the Commission and its VolunteerME site is to serve as an intermediary between Maine’s citizens and agencies seeking volunteers. We bring together those persons wanting to give to their communities and those in need of service," Crofton says.
Another unique aspect of both the www.maineservicecommission.gov and www.volunteermaine.org web sites are that they also provide on-line resources to volunteer agencies. Providing assistance on volunteer training, staff management, finance, and much more, the sites serve as an operational guide—a virtual library for Maine’s volunteer sector.
The Maine Commission for Community Service’s new web site and its transfer to e-business, allows the commission to efficiently serve the people of Maine and their communities in new and exciting ways. The Commission looks forward to changing the course of how state services are offered to Maine citizens.
To learn more about the Maine Commission for Community Service visit our web site at http://www.maineservicecommission.gov or contact the Maine Commission for Community Service at 287-8931 or service.commission@maine.gov.
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Questions? Contact Kim M.Goding, the Commission’s Public Relations Representative by calling 207-287-8933 or e-mailing kim.goding@maine.gov. Kim is a new member of the commission staff. Prior to joining the Commission for Community Service, she served as the Governor's scheduler for his first year in office as well as during his gubernatorial campaign. Goding graduated from Bates College in 2001 with a B.A. in Sociology and Criminology and currently resides in Mexico, Maine with her husband, Eric, and two children, Megan and Colby. |
