The Walterboro Civitan Club held its September 26 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, Paul M. Capers led the meeting.
The Civitans installed its officers for the 2024-2025. Past President Mary Ann Blake presided over the installation. Paul M. Capers was elected President, Lynn Stroble is President Elect, and Donald Davis continues as Secretary. Board Members will be Tom Whitacre and Gary Finch.
Davis updated the projects the Civitans worked on over the past year. Some of the projects included contributions to the Animal Shelter, In His Name Colleton, First Steps, and contributing to a new van for Disability and Special Needs. They also contributed to scholarships for area students and research projects in Birmingham. Davis also mentioned the very successful Rice Festival rice sale which the Civitans sponsor every year.
The Civitan Club also honored the person of the year. Debi Price was selected as this year’s person of the year, Debi was born on November 8, 1981, to Casey Price and Wanda Reynolds Price. She was diagnosed with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a form of Brittle Bone Disease. Debi was the definition of determination and inspiration. She was always full of life, joy, love, and lived every moment to its fullest. Debi graduated from Walterboro High School, 3rd in her class and attended USC-Salkehatchie Campus and received her Associate of Science Degree. She then continued her education at The University of South Carolina-Columbia Campus where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree and then furthered her education by receiving her master’s plus 30 in Early Elementary Education, specializing in Special Education. Debi started with the Colleton County School District as a substitute teacher and became a Special Education Teacher for third, fourth, and fifth grades at Forest Hills Elementary School while teaching, she received many accolades such as Forest Hills Rookie Teacher of the Year in 2012 and Forest Hills Teacher of the Year in 2016. Debi passed away at the age of 42, March 23, 2024. Debi’s family was in attendance to receive the award.
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.
