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Guest column: Assist your local government
Guest columnist

By Carter Infinger

Many people know that volunteering is a great way to give back to their local communities and improve the areas in which they live. However, not many know that they can volunteer their time and abilities by serving on boards that help to deliver programs and services – Bryan County included.

Volunteers often benefit from their own efforts as much as governments do. Lending a hand by serving on a local government board or committee can result in new friendships and networking connections, plus it lets people put their talents and abilities to work as they develop new skills. Overall, volunteering gives citizens a sense of accomplishment for contributing to their government.

In Bryan County, volunteers can serve in a variety of capacities, such as on commissions, committees, and advisory boards, where they can provide valuable citizen insight as to how services are delivered. Those volunteers are needed on the Board of Health, the Development Authority Board, the Library Board, the Public Facilities Commission, the Coastal Regional Commission, the Aging Council, the Board of Adjustments, and several others.

It is helpful if volunteers are familiar with the subject matter covered by the board or commission they want to apply to. This is especially the case with things like planning and zoning or health. However, there are still other more generalized opportunities that exist for those with a broad spectrum of interests.

I highly encourage our residents to check into the government volunteer opportunities available in Bryan County. It’s easy to get involved and rewarding to know that what you’re doing makes a difference. It’s easy to offer critiques after the fact, but how many are actually willing to get involved to implement change or learn more about how and why things are done?

If you’d like to volunteer, please visit https://bryancounty.seamlessdocs.com/f/communityservice to see which volunteer board positions are available and submit your application. I hope to be working alongside some of you real soon.

Infinger is chairman of the Bryan County Board of Commissioners.

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