Lebanon Borough - In The News

Posted by M Paradis

January 8, 2008

HUNTERDON REVIEW

A nice mention of Lebanon Borough in recognition of all volunteers -

Appreciating our local volunteers
Tuesday, January 8, 2008 2:26 PM EST

At this time of the year, when the towns of North Hunterdon are appointing their members for the year for boards, commissions and committees and other positions, we are reminded again of how necessary volunteers are for life to function in small communities. Lebanon’s 2008 reorganization meeting was dedicated to all the volunteers in that community. “Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy,” said Mayor Mark Paradis.

Volunteers fill in obvious roles and behind the scenes. Planning Board members sit through hours and hours of technical and sometimes controversial hearings to help guide the future of their hometowns. Of course, emergency and rescue responders on first aid squads and fire departments are literally lifesavers on our streets and in our homes. But just showing up isn’t the whole job. Volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians must undergo rigorous training that becomes more demanding and complex every year.

Volunteers track local history on municipal historic commissions. They fill the leadership and rank and file rolls of parent-teacher associations, as well as educational foundations, and often provide learning opportunities and classroom materials students might not otherwise receive.

Even most small town officials are virtually volunteers receiving minimal pay for hours spent either in public or doing research and serving on subcommittees.

In smaller towns, such as Califon, volunteers often fill multiple roles, and are asked to take on as much as they can handle.

Kudos to all the volunteers in the area who give so selflessly of their time and talent to make their communities better places in which to live.