Eileen Song has served on many community boards but said her volunteer work as a Luzerne County Children and Youth Advisory Board member has been the most immersive and fulfilling.
“This is different. It feels a lot more purpose-driven for a greater cause,” said Song, who works as a financial advisor. “This is the one that has really touched my heart because it’s really an emotional situation.”
Song is reaching out to describe her experience because she wants more community and business leaders and professionals of varied backgrounds to step up and apply to serve on the advisory board and other county boards with openings that must be filled by county council.
“I think in general people don’t understand the opportunity exists. I talked to people who want to get involved, and they don’t know where to start,” Song said.
Council Chairwoman Kendra Radle made a similar plea last week, saying council is unable to fill seats on some authorities, boards and commissions due to a lack of applicants.
Council Vice Chairman John Lombardo, who chairs the council committee that publicly interviews applicants, said he has not called a committee meeting lately because there is no pool of citizens to screen.
“We hope to see people apply — good people who will be dedicated,” Lombardo said.
Applications are available in council’s authorities, boards and commissions section at luzernecounty.org, along with a list of boards and vacancies.
Seven of 10 seats are vacant on the Forty Fort Airport Advisory Board, which oversees the county-owned Wyoming Valley Airport. An active board is warranted due to updates planned at the facility, officials have said.
Established in 1929, the 110-acre airport was acquired by the county in the 1940s. It requires little county general fund subsidy because the state and federal government have covered most capital project costs, officials have said. The county also receives a portion of revenue from fuel sales at the facility.
Only three seats are filled on the new county Arts Advisory Board, which must contain at least five board members, though up to seven are possible, county postings say.
This board was formed to “advise, encourage, stimulate and pursue the advancement of the arts” across the county.
There are three vacancies on the county’s nine-member Planning Commission, which holds its meetings at 2 p.m. the second Thursday of every month.
Spread thin
The Children and Youth Advisory Board can have 9 to 24 members and currently has 11, Song said.
More are needed to help with outreach projects aimed at educating the public about the agency’s work and advocating for employees in its highly stressful jobs, she said.
“We have some ambitious goals for the board. When I joined a few years ago, we weren’t very active. The board was just there to listen to the director’s report and not do much,” Song said.
Her goal is a 20-member board to “have an impact.” Many board members have full-time jobs and need others to help with the volunteer initiatives, she said.
“It feels like there’s so much more we could be doing,” she said.
She has become “totally engrossed” in supporting the agency’s efforts to recruit and retain caseworkers to carry out investigations of alleged child abuse and neglect and comply with regulations on how to handle such situations.
Confidentiality requirements prevent agency staff and advisory board members from presenting details that may shed more light on why some actions are taken, she said.
Agency workers show great appreciation for the advisory board’s input and assistance, she said.
“That gives me more determination to help them more,” Song said. “If we don’t take care of the most vulnerable people in our community, what does that say about our community?”