'Lifeblood' of Township Recognized at Annual Dinner

In many ways, they represent the backbone of the township—the volunteers who sit on its various boards and committees—yet you rarely ever see them, or hear about them.

But Monday night was their night.

“Basically, the town wouldn’t run without them,” said township clerk Patty Hunt (who is herself considered indispensable) during the township’s annual boards and committees dinner at the .

The township has held the dinner for years—no one there could recall exactly how long, but it’s been quite some time—to recognize the efforts of the roughly 110 citizens who volunteer their time.

“This is the one chance we have to show our appreciation for our residents who give just countless hours to the township,” Mayor John Button said.

Sandra McGuire, a member of the ’s board of trustees, said the township has held the dinner as far back as she can remember, and she’s been volunteering at various levels (planning board, zoning board) for about the last 35 years.

She said the committee members “absolutely” appreciate the appreciation shown to them at the annual dinner.

“(Volunteers are) the lifeblood of any strong community,” said library board president Glen Walton, “so it’s nice to be recognized.”

“This is self-rule,” said Deputy Mayor Greg Gallo. “This is what motivates us. It’s certainly what motivates me.”

Sharon Leinheiser, deputy registrar for the township, has been helping to plan the party for the last 20 years, along with Hunt, and said the dinner is important because, “These people put in a lot of man-hours, and they do it without any recompense … And it’s not just the night of the meetings they’re there. You want to say ‘thank you’ when people work so hard.”

The other benefit to the dinner, according to attendees, is it brings all the various board and committee members into the same room and each one speaks briefly about their role in the township, which gives them a chance to see how they work together as part of the same system and how their individual duties are inextricably—if only tangentially—linked.

“It makes everyone feel more like a cohesive unit,” said Leinheiser.

Hunt said township council plans to issue a proclamation Monday declaring next week “Boards and Committees Appreciation Week.”

She said about half of the 110 board and committee seats are up for appointment this year.