UNION TOWNSHIP — The Mt. Pisgah Cemetery Committee had its sixth annual cemetery cleanup on Saturday.

It was all a part of Make a Difference Day, in which individuals volunteer their time to help beautify and help support the community.

This year marked the first time that Ironton Kiwanis Club members participated.

Bette and Dave Backus, members of Kiwanis, were in their element during the cleanup.

“Our focus is to give back to the community.

This cleanup gives us the opportunity to do that,” Bette Backus said.

On the chilly Saturday afternoon, the volunteers worked feverishly to rake leaves, weed overgrown grass, clear headstones, and remove faded flowers from the grave sites.

Many of the volunteers have ancestors buried in the cemetery, a reason the cleanup is important to them.

Debbie Redman, a member of Kiwanis and the cemetery committee, said she remains involved with the cleanup as a way to remember those who started the cemetery.

Anna Bell King, president of the committee, takes pride in the cleanup each year.

“The people buried here were originally slaves who settled in the area,” she said. “We are descendants of those who crossed the Ohio River for freedom.

That’s a bond that lasts forever.”

To volunteer time or donate money to the Mt. Pisgah Cemetery Committee, contact Anna Bell King at (304) 522-6176.