Saturday night the Aulander Ruritan Club gathered at the town’s community building to honor those who we rarely remember.

When a fire breaks out, we expect that volunteers are headed to our home no matter what time it is or what they were in the middle of at that moment. The same is true for an emergency medical situation. We expect members of EMS (Emergency Medical Services) to be at our door on the double.

And they should. They made the decision to serve as volunteers and they do so because they know it’s the right thing to do. They choose to accept that responsibility.

Unfortunately, we sometimes forget that they do not have to be there. They do not have to get out of warm beds, leave work, walk away from their child’s ball game or whatever it is they have to leave to take care of their friends, neighbors and, sometimes, total strangers.

On Saturday night, the Aulander Ruritan Club said thank you to those who make those exact sacrifices for the people of their town. They recognized the Aulander Volunteer Fire Department, the Millennium Volunteer Fire Department and the Lewiston-Woodville EMS for their service.

Not only did the club invite members to the dinner, but they took time to serve them with food and beverage. The fire fighters and EMS personnel were treated like the special people they truly are.

Most of us feel the love and admiration for our fire fighters and EMS, but we rarely take the time to tell them how we feel. On Saturday, the Aulander Ruritan Club did.

We hope other community organizations will follow this worthwhile lead.