by Michael D. Pitman, Hamilton Journal-News
Any city or township thatÕs growing and flourishing more than likely has active civic and service clubs at work, community leaders say. Groups such as the Rotary, Kiwanis, LionÕs and Optimist clubs play a key role in their communities by giving out scholarships to high school and college students, organizing community-wide clean ups, giving dictionaries to grade schoolers or holding food drives. These groups are usually comprised of business leaders, government officials and dedicated community volunteers and activists. In Butler County, there are around a dozen or more of these organizations actively working to improve their communities. And while these civic organizations have become part of the fabric of the community, many of them have folded in recent years due to an inability to attract younger members to carry on the legacy. But local leaders say these organizations are too important to go away. Where their activities are considered paying the community back or paying it forward, civic clubs matter, say those who are involved in them. ÒI think that the most important thing is that is serves a way for (people) to be a part of something that supports community not just by donating money, but actually getting involved with doing the work to make things happen,Ó said Rich Bethart, president of the Rotary Club of Hamilton. And by supporting the community, these clubs are leaving an indelible mark, said Lou Robinson, president of the Lindenwald Kiwanis Club of Hamilton. ~1@BODYURL[id=114jbcurl1247]@