The Walterboro Civitan Club held its October 23 meeting at Dukes Barbecue. The meeting was called to order by the ringing of the bell. After recitation of the Civitan Creed, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Invocation, Civitan President Tom Whitacre led the meeting.
The Civitans marked it 69th anniversary with club secretary, Donald Davis, reading a proclamation from the City of Walterboro, declaring October 23, 2024, Civitans Day in the City of Walterboro. The proclamation was signed by Mayor Bill Young. The group also honored charter members and past presidents of the organization.
The group also heard a report on the USC Salkehatchie Luncheon held on October 3rd. The group was honored with the John Winthrop Sr. Legacy Society Silver Partner Award. Also at the luncheon, Krystel Krejeski received the Civitan’s “Murray Bishop Scholarship”
First Steps received a $500 donation from the group. First Steps helps to prepare children to enter school.
Airport Manager Burt Duffie spoke to the group. Duffie, who has been the airport manager for 3 years, spoke about the Lowcountry Regional Airport and its importance to Colleton County. One of the largest General Aviation Airports in South Carolina, the Airport is co-owned by the City of Walterboro and Colleton County. The property was originally built as an Army Airfield and housed the Tuskegee Airmen as they trained for service in World War II. Duffie spoke about runway improvements, fuel farm upgrades, and the Veterans Park that will be added to the current Tuskegee Historic Site. He also touched on the services the airport supports, including a fueling site for Careflight and the 45 aircraft based at the airport. The 900 acre airport and its accompanying 1500 acre industrial park is a strong economic driver in Colleton County. Duffie also took questions from the group.
With more than 30,000 members worldwide, Civitan International is a global organization dedicated to serving the local communities of its members. Using the structure of building local clubs, Civitan equips its members to address local needs with local solutions.
Civitan is the only service organization dedicated to serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). This long-standing focus began as a local project in Baltimore in the 1940s when Civitan began funding specialized teachers in schools. In 1956, Civitan membership unanimously adopted service to I/DD as the major project focus of the international organization. Today, Civitan supports the Civitan International Research Center in Birmingham, Alabama where more than 100 researchers work on diseases that impact the lives of 1 in 6 people worldwide.
