Civitan Foundation history

Civitan survived the depression setback and by 1947 there were 41 active clubs in the Carolinas District.

A Brief History of Civitan in South Carolina - James B. Aiken, Past District Governor (1950-51).

The first two students to graduate were Gaynelle Kernell from Winthrop College and Dennis Dellinger from the University of South Carolina in 1953.

Doctor John R. Pate, a native of Scranton, South Carolina, served as President of Civitan Inter-national in 1965-66.

* Prior to 1967, the South Carolina District was part of Civitan International Zone 2, consisting of the Florida, Georgia North, South Carolina and South Georgia Districts.

Established in 1968 in Williams, Arizona, Civitan Foundation, Inc. is a Phoenix based 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to delivering superior life experiences to children and adults with disabilities.

In 1971, the District established an office in Columbia, South Carolina to support the activities of the District Governor, Directors and Program managers in providing services to local Civitan Clubs, and as place and means for information and records.

Suffering for financial support, the camp was closed in 1989 and from it evolved the Junior Civitan Leadership Conference first held at Francis Marion College in Florence, then at Presbyterian College.

Civitan Magazine, March-April 1992.

On September 19, 1994, club delegates at the South Carolina District Convention voted unanimously to establish the South Carolina District Civitan Foundation and to have the Civitan International Foundation manage the funds for the South Carolina Foundation.

Joyce Westbrook then served as Administrative Assistant to the Governor and District Board and Secretary/Treasurer of the District until her retirement in 2011 although the physical office had been closed several years before.