CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – It’s time for our latest Giving Grace as we highlight another civic organization, the Clarksville Civitan Club, that works to support and improve the lives of citizens in Clarksville-Montgomery County.
Current President, Donna Sabash, said the Clarksville Civitan Club is set to celebrate 100 years of service to the community in 2021, and is a member of the International Civitan organization with clubs worldwide.
“Some of the things Clarksville Civitan is known for is our annual fish fry that is held in the spring, their Vidalia onion sale and the scavenger hunt during Clarksville Riverfest. “All of those funds go to Austin Peay scholarships. We do four scholarships every year to Austin Peay students,” said Sabash.
The pandemic has affected the lives and activities of everyone and Sabash said Civitan is no different with many of their major fundraisers being cancelled for 2020 so they are trying to think outside the box.
As a club, Civitan supports Progressive Directions Inc., Special Olympics, Junior Civitan programs in local high schools, along with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to name a few.
Sabash said some of the money raised from the fundraisers goes to the Civitan International Research Center with the rest staying locally for groups and organizations primarily geared toward developmental disabilities.
The many Civitan clubs together support the research center located in Birmingham, Alabama. The center targets developmental and intellectual disabilities, as well as those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as a result of military service or violent crime.
Civitan is planning a new webstore in the future as one way to continue their fundraising efforts for community support. “We are going to have a 24/7 webstore, TeriLynn, where people can purchase great quality nuts, dried fruit, and candy,” Sabash said.
It is hoped the steady monthly income from the TeriLynn site will help replace some of the fundraising efforts and events they have lost.
Each year Civitan hosts its Public Safety Awards and honors a Clarksville Police Officer, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy, Clarksville Fire Rescue Firefighter, Montgomery County Volunteer Firefighter, a member of the Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency and Montgomery County Emergency Medical Services.
Sabash said at this time they are holding their weekly meetings in a hybrid fashion. People can attend in person or they can also be a part of the session through zoom. For the in-person meetings everyone is encouraged to wear masks, social distancing is being practiced, and hand sanitizer is readily available.
Clarksville Civitan holds their meetings each Wednesday at First Baptist Clarksville downtown with lunch served at 11:30 and the meeting starting at noon. Each meeting features a guest speaker to share important information from the community.
To learn more about the Clarksville Civitan Club, go to the Clarksville Civitan facebook page, or call 931-648-5757.
