Social, civic and service organization leaders in the Tamaqua Area in search of a forum to discuss their aspirations and concerns for the community are in luck.

The Tamaqua Area Community Partnership will host a pair of Community Conversations at Lehigh Carbon Community College's Scheller Student Center, 301 Van Gelder St., Tamaqua.Sessions will be held from 8-10 a.m. Sept. 24, and from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sept. 29. A light breakfast will be served at the Sept. 24 session, while light snacks will be given out at the Sept. 29 session."Community Conversations provide an opportunity to help our community move forward by identifying our aspirations and concerns and understanding how we think about them," said volunteer Joe Krushinsky. "We want to hear from the leaders in our community, and that's an important step in shaping the future of Tamaqua."Krushinsky noted that "Community Conversations are not sponsored by a political party; they are not a business development effort; they are not a complaint session; they are not a session trying to sell a particular solution or approach."Leaders from about 40 Tamaqua organizations will be invited to participate in the Community Conversations, Krushinsky said."We're looking for a good representative turnout so that lots of voices can be heard," he said.Organizations who wish to participate should RSVP by Sept. 19 by contacting Maureen Donovan at 570-668-6880, or

mdonovan@lccc.edu.Anyone with questions concerning a Community Conversation should contact Krushinsky at 202-297-3274, or at

jkrushinsky@gmail.com.The group plans to have a Facebook event page in the future.