Everyone talks about wanting to have an impact on their community.

Guess what? You do every time you go to the local grocery store, buy a car here in Lawrence County or spend your hard-earned money here at home.

But the other side of that coin is that every time you go out-of-state to go shopping, drive to big-city malls or car dealers, you are making an impact as well. The wrong kind.

So ask yourself: What kind of impact do want to make? Do you want to make a difference, make your community a better place to live? Or do you want to enrich someone else’s community?

Sharp-eyed readers of The Tribune have likely seen a series of ads the newspaper has created that are part of an ongoing campaign designed to shine a light on spending money right here in our neighborhoods.

Every single dollar spent locally turns over at least three times within the local community, creating a positive injection of economic stimulus right here at home.

If someone told you that you would get a three to one return on your investment in the stock market, would you do it? Of course.

Shopping locally saves time and money for you and helps support the businesses in our community that employ our friends and neighbors, support our schools and power our economy.

Another ad focuses on how spending money locally helps our county and, ultimately, our schools. This becomes an investment in our future.

A third ad, which you can find in today’s edition, emphasizes the importance of our local car dealers and how vital these companies are to our communities.

Each Lawrence County car dealer is a major employer and provides many jobs and pays taxes to fund local government.

Our local auto dealers also contribute heavily to community schools, charities and sports leagues. Ask a Columbus or Charleston, W.Va., car dealer the last time they helped a Lawrence County student achieve their dreams.

A fourth ad focuses on the brave men and women who put their lives on the line as firefighters, police officers, emergency personnel and also those who provide public services such as garbage and water.

Part of the taxes you pay on goods and services locally goes to fund these public services without which none of us would enjoy the quality of life that we enjoy.

We will continue to emphasize the importance of shopping local, perhaps more crucial than ever during uncertain economic times.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to spend every dollar here in Lawrence County but we can all make a concerted effort to do more to keep our money at home.

So, I’ll ask the same question: What kind of impact do you want to make on your community?

Michael Caldwell is publisher of The Tribune. To reach him, call (740) 532-1445 ext. 24 or by e-mail at mike.caldwell@irontontribune.com.