On Thursday, the Child Welfare Club of Ironton marked a special anniversary.

It was 100 years since the group’s founding in 1919.

Beginning on Valentine’s Day that year, the Child Welfare Club was launched, with a mission to make sure that all children in the city had access to milk every day.

While this may be something that is taken for granted today, in the days before the federal milk program, it was a common social problem.

Over the years, generations of women have joined the organization and taken part in its activities, even as its mission has expanded to a number of causes.

Some of the groups who receive donations from the Child Welfare Club include Sue’s Kids, Harvest for the Hungry, Backpack Buddies, Harvest for the Hungry, the Lawrence County Domestic Violence Shelter and the City Mission.

The organization also gives out scholarships to local students and handles the Eddy test, which helps to boost academic proficiency in both Ironton Middle School and St. Joseph Catholic School. Those who excel on the test are also honored at a yearly banquet.

We would like to take the time to thank the current members of the Child Welfare Club for all that they do and honor all of its members for their work over the past century.

They have helped improve the lives of countless children and have done much to make the city a better place.