Retired Army Col. Gregory Gadson’s message about the importance of communities was, in a way, preaching to the choir. Members of the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce, to whom he spoke Wednesday, are involved intensively in making our area better.

It is true, as Andy McKenzie, chairman of the board for the chamber, noted, that the organization is an effective voice for businesses. With about 600 members, it is the largest local chamber in the state.

But Wheeling’s chamber is much, much more. Its activities in supporting schools and, in other ways, local youths are important. So are the many other ways in which it defends our community and strives to improve it.

Kudos, then, to Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce members!