By Mark Shaffer
The Ironton Tribune

“Bid and bid often,” exhorted Child Welfare Club president Marianna Dalton at the start of the club’s annual Talent Show, which is one of the club’s annual fundraisers. It was held at the Ironton Church of the Nazarene on Thursday.
Every member of the club brings in an item for them to auction off, from baked goods to Christmas-themed decorations.
And bid they did. A carrot cake went for $50 dollars, a Grinch-themed wreath went for $30. Everything sold quickly and everyone seemed pleased with their purchase.
“This will help us to continue to make the children our future,” Dalton said.
The club provides scholarships and helps organizations like Tools 4 Schools, Backpack Buddies, The City Mission and Sue’s Kids. They also do the Eddie Test and banquet for middle school students. “All these scholarships and community efforts are supported by these fundraisers.”
She said the goal is to gather and do what they can to help children in the community.
“Sometimes it is a scholastic effort, sometimes it’s something that benefits them in a needs area,” Dalton said.
This is the 105th year for the club. It started in 1919 as a way to buy milk for children to help promote their health.
After the federal government passed a law in 1974 ensuring that children had access to milk, the club continued to find other avenues to help children.
In the past century, the Child Welfare Club has had over 56 different betterment projects, many that carried from year to year, including story hour at the courthouse, building the first public park in Ironton, helping the Briggs Library set up a children’s section, paying a nurse to give children medical care and setting up the city’s first kindergarten school.
The club established the Eddy Test scholarship in 1960 and that continues to this day.