Meetings:
Most Thursdays*
from Noon - 1:30pm
Country Club of Salisbury
747 Club House Drive
(Click for directions)
Civitan Club
of Salisbury
North Carolina
One Hundred Years of Service 1922-2022
About Our Club
Civitan International is an organization of volunteer service clubs around the world, dedicated to helping people in their own communities. Civitans help wherever the need arises – from collecting food for a homeless shelter, to volunteering at their local retirement home, to building a playground for children with disabilities. Civitans have been helping people since the organization’s 1917 founding by a group of businessmen who were determined to make a difference in their own community. The Birmingham club formed Civitan International on April 15, 1920, and Civitan clubs began to spring up across the nation and in foreign countries.
In the 1950’s Civitan adopted a special emphasis on helping people with developmental disabilities. Civitan was one of the major supporters of Special Olympics International, and thousands of Civitans still support these local events. Civitan clubs also fund and organize special camps and events for people with developmental disabilities.
The focus of this mission is the UAB Civitan International Research Center, located on the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Made possible through an ongoing financial commitment from Civitan, this world-class research facility is a center for research into disorders such as autism, Down syndrome, brain tumors, epilepsy, and many more. Civitan also helps fund the Civitan-Sparks Clinics, a treatment and therapy center also located in Birmingham. At this center, children and families with developmental disabilities can receive diagnosis, therapy, counseling, and other resources they need. The Civitan-Sparks Clinics helps thousands of children and families with developmental disabilities each year.
Junior Civitan and Campus Civitan are Civitan’s youth and collegiate programs, respectively. These clubs take on innovative service projects, fundraisers for the Civitan International Research Center, and receive valuable leadership training.
The Civitan Club of Salisbury was chartered more than 100 years ago on August 15th 1922, the 80th club to charter in Civitan International, and we are currently one of the five largest clubs in the world. We are the home club of the 1974 International President MM (Chub) Richards, and 6 past NC West District Governors, including Curtis Montgomery (1976), Wayne Mullis (2000), Frank Goodnight (2011), Mark Beymer (2016), John Sofley (2019) and Mark Curran (2021). Read more about our Club's history here.
The CIVITAN CREED
Originally written in 1922 by Champ Andrews of the Chattanooga, Tennessee, Civitan Club, the Civitan Creed is unique among volunteer organizations as the most completely developed ethical statement ever set forth for a service club. It serves as a personal challenge to every Civitan.
The Civitan Creed was last changed in 1984 by a group led by Past International President Francis Essic (Gastonia, North Carolina) and adopted later that same year by the International Convention Civitan delegates.
I AM CIVITAN: as old as life, as young as the rainbow, as endless as time.
MY HANDS do the work of the world and reach out in service to others.
MY EARS hear the cry of children and the call throughout the world for peace, guidance, progress, and unity.
MY EYES search for others to join in the fellowship and service of Civitan.
MY MOUTH utters the call to daily duty and speaks prayers in every tongue.
MY MIND teaches me respect for law and the flag of my country.
MY HEART beats for every friend, bleeds for every injury to humanity, and throbs with joy at every triumph of truth.
MY SOUL knows no fear but its own unworthiness.
MY HOPE is for a better world through Civitan.
MY MOTTO: builders of good citizenship.
MY BELIEF: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
MY PLEDGE: to practice the Golden Rule and to build upon it a better and nobler citizenship.
Our Members
Meetings
Civitans are active and involved in various community activities across the Salisbury/Rowan County area and beyond. Our club's members - men and women - can be found in leadership and supporting roles in local companies; some hold elected leadership positions and others are actively involved with other local philanthropic organizations. Some are retired; some have names you might recognize while others have avoided the limelight, but we all have this in common: We are dedicated to working together to improve our community in every possible way! While some of our members are relatively new to the club, many have been Civitans for decades, dedicating their efforts to growing new leadership for our community and serving wherever they are needed.
Our local club meets almost every Thursday, from 12:00pm to 1:30pm at the Country Club of Salisbury, located on Club Drive in Salisbury. Lunch is buffet style, available from 12:00pm to 12:45pm. Meetings are called to order at about 12:45pm, and we invite various guest speakers to address our club from about 1:00pm to 1:25pm. Meetings end no later than 1:30pm. See our calendar page for meeting date changes.
Local Activities
Dues
Our major annual fund raisers include our annual Golf Classic Tournament, held in early October, the proceeds of which are used to support local nonprofits and special needs. Civitans also provide traffic control volunteers for the annual Cheerwine Festival in Salisbury, and we staff a concession stand at the "Thomas the Tank Engine" events at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, typically held in October each year. We also place and service Candy Boxes you may see in various restaurants and public locations around Salisbury. These are just a few of our fundraising activities; we also actively support our local Special Olympics by volunteering as staff for events, activities and programs and provide ushers for Piedmont Players shows at the Meroney Theatre. Our Facebook page is a great place to check out what we've been doing lately!
Club dues for active members are paid quarterly and include all regular meeting luncheon expenses. Invoices are sent out via e-mail on October 1, January 1, April 1 and June 1 as dues become payable. They may be paid by mail or in person at meetings. Project Members pay reduced rates per quarter and a per-meal charge for each time they come to a regular meeting and eat.
Interested in Joining?
The Salisbury Civitan Club Charitable Foundation
The Salisbury Civitan Club Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is a separate entity apart from the Civitan Club of Salisbury. The Foundation's purpose is to enable club members and others to contribute tax deductible funds, which are in turn used to fund various local scholarships and other charitable local projects as determined by the Foundation's board, supported by the Salisbury Civitan Club and lawful under current tax rules.
Any person - regardless of gender, at least 18 years of age and of good character and reputation - is eligible to join Civitans. We're always looking for men and women who share our passion for making our community a better place! Just come to one of our meetings at the Salisbury Country Club or click here to send an e-mail indicating your interest in joining to our Membership Chair Mary Arey at mary.areyrealty@gmail.com)