"Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match/find me a find, catch me a catch"
From "Fiddler on the Roof," lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
In a different slant on matchmaking, Jefferson City is seeking to match vacancies on its board and commissions with energetic volunteers.
In this forum on June 19, we observed that volunteerism not only is a community strength, it is an asset capable of enhancing the city's vision.
We wrote: "Volunteerism, as it relates to the city, is the driving force for more than 20 boards and commissions. In the absence of those volunteers groups, the cost to hire staff or consultants to provide similar research and expertise would be enormous."
Jefferson City last week renewed its call for volunteers to serve on its board and commission. The city specified vacancies on the: Cemetery Resource Board, Cultural Arts Committee, Electrical Board, Environmental Quality Commission, Library Board, Police Personnel Board and USS Jefferson City Submarine Committee.
The city's website, www.jeffcitymo.org, provides a brief description and lists duration of terms for each board and commission. Interested volunteers also may access and complete forms online.
Prospective volunteers are advised that these are working board and commissions.
Consider, for example, city representation on the public library board. This is much more than a book club where avid readers gather to select their favorite titles for inclusion on the shelves.
The board is responsible for: Crafting an annual budget and the expenditure of tax dollars; prioritizing among facilities, collections, programs and other needs; balancing requests for traditional materials with demands for digital resources; and much more.
The challenges of serving on a city board or commission, however, also are its rewards.
When volunteers share their energy and expertise as a team to solve problems, they experience the satisfaction of a job well done.
And, for their willingness to serve on our behalf, they also merit our appreciation.
- The News Tribune