It was nearly nine decades ago that a group of Ironton businessmen came together with the goal of creating a partnership that would help the community move forward.

The rest, as they say, is history for the Ironton Rotary Club.

The civic organization, which prides itself on the motto of “Service Above Self,” celebrated this week its 90th year of giving back to the community. That is truly a significant milestone in this modern era that seems to reflect a decline in the community involvement and volunteerism that was entrenched in our society 30 or 40 years ago.

The Ironton Rotary club has seen lots of members over the years, many of whom were prominent leaders in the community. And while membership has dwindled somewhat — as has the city’s population and involvement in civic groups nationwide — the positive things accomplished haven’t fallen off.

The Rotary club continues to have an impact in our local and global community with projects that include providing dictionaries to every third grade student in Lawrence County, providing nursing scholarships for local students, renovating the Center Street fountain in Ironton, participating in an expansion of a library in Belize and donating to a variety of local non-profit organizations.

But Rotary isn’t alone in these efforts.

Lawrence County is blessed with so many civic and community organizations that make a difference, far too many to name here.

These groups are just as relevant today as they were 90 years ago when Rotary was first founded.

Hopefully more citizens will get involved in these organizations and make a difference for another 90 years and beyond.