Ten years from now, what will Ironton have to offer?

Ten years from now, will we be proud of our community?

If we’re not sure about the answer to the second question, it’s time to start putting some thought into the first one.

In my opinion, our mayor, Rich Blankenship, has worked hard to move the city forward during his tenure. I also think it takes much more than city government to create and maintain an awesome place to live. I know we have some ultra-dedicated souls outside of city management who are ultra-passionate about Ironton reaching its potential.

But I don’t think this tiny handful of people is enough to complete the enormous task at hand. It’s going to take a lot more than the roughly 1 percent of our population presently working to improve Ironton to actually make it happen.

So let’s talk about a word that typically makes eyeballs bulge and puts people into Excuse Mode. The word is “volunteer.” The fastest way for this city to reach its potential is by having enough of us who are willing to work to rebuild it, in our free time, just because we care. Imagine the possibilities if just 10 percent of Ironton’s population decided to volunteer a few hours each month simply because it would vastly improve our community.

The average person spends 40 hours working and 56 hours sleeping each week. Since a week contains 168 total hours, that leaves a total of 72 discretionary hours, or 288 discretionary hours per month. If a mere 10 percent of our population devoted just 8 of these 288 hours to community improvement via volunteer work each month, that would equal 8,000 hours — the same production 50 workers provide any organization in a month.

In short, if a small percentage of us truly care about making our hometown a place we are proud of, a place we want our kids to grow up and prosper in, the only requirement is the equivalent of an average of two hours each week. We have too many talkers and not enough doers. Too many finger pointers, but not enough dirty hands. Too many Facebook political analysts, and not enough reality-based leaders.

I believe this city is worth my free time. I believe the small amount of work I do is worth the effort. And I believe this community is worth a few of my discretionary hours each month. I believe in protecting and showcasing the great history of Ironton by working to improve its future. My goal is to hear from a few more believers who are willing to put selfish excuses aside and volunteer to make this city awesome.

If you wish to pitch in and make a difference, the Friends of Ironton will be more than happy to introduce you to other dedicated volunteers. If interested, please contact me at the email listed below.

 

Billy Bruce is a freelance writer who lives in Pedro. He can be contacted at hollandkat3@aol.com.