Get Off Your Butt and Volunteer

Maplewood is a town full of volunteer spirit.

Patch has chronicled ; ; , and feeding the hungry; ; locals to buy books and materials for the library.

And so much more.

Still, by our calculations, there are about twelve people left in Maplewood who are not volunteering (and we're pretty sure they're all on MaplewoodOnline publishing angry screeds...).

To these few, we suggest a three-step course of action:

1. Get informed (Patch is a good place to start; We've chronicled the and budget processes, the r, plans to redevelop the and the site, updates on and so much more).
2. Get out and vote.
3. Volunteer.

The Township of Maplewood has numerous active citizen-staffed committees and boards that help shape decisions about what the town will look like (parks, zoning, historic preservation, planning), programming to serve its citizens (recreation, arts, library), and how to address social issues (health, rent leveling, local assistance).

Here's the list of Maplewood Boards & Committees

• Affordable Housing Board 
• Arts Maplewood Advisory Committee 
• Board of Education 

• Local Assistance Board 
• Maplewood Drug Alliance 
• Open Space Trust Advisory Committee 
• Planning Board 
• Recreation Advisory Committee 
• Rent Leveling Board 
• Swimming Pool Advisory Committee 
• Transportation Committee 
• Youth Recreation Advisory Committee 
• Zoning Board of Adjustment 

Your way into these committees is through the town's Community Volunteer Resource Program, which was formed by the Township Committee "as a way to assist us in our continuing task of seeking qualified and interested citizens to serve in a variety of volunteer capacities."

And if you don't want to serve on a board or a committee, the town is also looking for residents who have expertise in or can do the following:

• write grants
• provide general clerical support
• staff a flu clinic
• volunteer with fire and police reserves, the first aid squad or the community emergency response team

If you would like to become part of the town's volunteer program, you can fill out a volunteer form indicating your interests and return it to Town Hall: 574 Valley St., Maplewood, NJ 07040.