CountdownJJuunniioorr CCiivviittaann

Winter 2009

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CENTER STAGE

PUMPKINS WIN PRIZES!

RESEARCH REPORT

CARTOONS, VIDEO GAMES ANDDEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

2008-09 CIVITAN INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT

“A CITIZEN OF TODAY”

LANCASTER JUNIOR CIVITANS

2008 CLUB OF THE YEAR

BEST IN SERVICE

NEW CLUB CHARTERS

Junior Civitan CreedI am a Junior Civitan:

An aware citizen of today,The standing promise of tomorrow.

I seek to meet the needs of our world,To be progressive in a world of change

With compassion and understanding forThe values and traditions of the past.

I value the security of knowingThat wherever I am

I will always be within reachOf a fellow Civitan.

I dedicate myselfTo society and to my fellow man

With a commitment To make the world a better place.

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c o n t e n t sWinter 2009 environmental awareness

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Volume 44, No. 2

Editor:Andrew Garnett

Associate Editors:Mary M. LuckCandice Williams

Graphic Artist:Tonya Duckett

Director ofCommunications & Public Relations:David Bledsoe

International Officers:

President:Elizabeth SantosArab, Alabamasophieelizabeth02@gmail.com

Vice President:Eric SmithAlexander City, Alabamaeksmith91@gmail.com

Directors:Jarryd BoydPensacola, Floridaesdk13@yahoo.com

Bobby FarleyGreensboro, North Carolinabobby.farley@gmail.com

Ali KuriyanCorrales, New Mexicomissalimariexo@yahoo.com�

Countdown Magazine is pro-duced for Junior Civitans to pro-mote the objectives and serviceprograms of their clubs. It carriesauthorized notices and articles re-garding the interests and activitiesof the Junior Civitan organization,but no responsibility is assumed forthe statements of other authorsand opinions expressed are notnecessarily those of CivitanInternational, its officers or staff.Editorial and Executive Offices:One Civitan Place, P. O. Box 130744,Birmingham, AL 35213-0744: tele-phone (205) 591-8910; FAX (205)592-6307.

Countdown Magazine (USPS 004-382) is published three times annual-ly (Fall, Winter, and Spring).

4www.juniorcivi tan.org

14ecently, the environment has been a hot topic — from global warming to hybridcars. With our hectic schedules and busy lives, we sometimes forget about theseproblems that face our world. The environment is important, and our involve-ment is crucial to preserving it.

This is why Junior Civitan International organizes our annual Environmental AwarenessCampaign. We want to get the word out to everyone about making our community and our soci-ety a cleaner, more enjoyable place to live. The campaign will take place this spring, and Iencourage every club to use this opportunity to improve your community.

Because the environment faces so many challenges, anything you can do will help! Fromcleaning up campus to raising money for a non-profit environmental organization, every littlebit will improve your community and our world. Your district governor or club president shouldhave a packet full of project ideas and great organizations that you can help.

There are no requirements on what you have to do; just help however you can! Once yourclub has completed its project, report it to International and you will receive an award for youraccomplishments.

This is one of our most important campaigns, so make sure that you and your friends set asidea day to clean up, educate others and participate in this great International project. I hope all ofyou will take part in it, and more importantly that you have fun and show your Unbridled Spirit!

OurPlanet!

•Unplug that cell phone charger.Electronics use energy, even when they aren’tturned on. You’ll save money and waste less elec-tricity by unplugging items that you don’t usevery often.

•Use less paper. You probably use more paperthan you realize, but changing a few of your habitscan make a big difference. For example, try book-marking Internet pages on your computer insteadof printing them.

•Use your computer efficiently. Peoplewaste an average of $1 billion in electricity everyyear through inefficient computer use. Turn offyour computer when you’re not using it, or at leastswitch it to sleep mode.

•Buy vintage. No resources are used when youbuy second-hand products. As an added bonus,when you purchase items from thrift stores you’llbe more unique than your peers.

•Use a refillable water bottle. Bottledwater production and transportation createsgreenhouse gasses that contribute to global warm-ing. Carrying a reusable water bottle cuts down onthese emissions, and it will save you money!

•Walk or bike. Believe it or not, you don’thave to take your car to go somewhere. If you’renot going very far, you’ll get some exercise andprotect the planet by walking or biking.

•Buy green clothing. Organic cotton is greatfor the planet since no pesticides are used whengrowing it. It is also better for your body, becauseit contains no residual chemicals which might irri-tate your skin.

•Switch your light bulbs. Replacing justthree frequently used light bulbs with compactfluorescent bulbs will save 300 pounds of carbondioxide and $60 per year! When compared to tra-ditional incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescentbulbs are just as bright, last longer, and use 75%less energy.

Living in an environmentally-friendly way is relativelyeasy. In many instances, it is also cheaper and trendierthan the alternative! Read on for a few simple ways toconserve our natural resources and care for our planet.Preserve

By Ali KuriyanInternational Director and Project Chair

R

Because the environment faces so manychallenges, anything you can do will help!

ana directs the Autism Brain Imaging Research Lab. Through a simple andnonthreatening fMRI scan, he is able to learn more about the language andsocial skills of autistic individuals. Subjects come in before the scanning to see

and learn about the fMRI machine, and they are not sedated or separated from their families.The scanning usually lasts about an hour; participants view experiments on a small screen insidethe scanner, and they press buttons to respond to simple questions about what they see.

Though the findings of Kana’s studies are still preliminary, his ongoing research has pro-duced results in two areas. He has found that autistic individuals have trouble understandingirony, metaphor and multiple meanings of words. Many people would see a pun in a sentencesuch as “Writing with a broken pencil is pointless,” but a person with autism does not. Kana hasalso found that those with autism do not understand the thoughts and motives of others. Whenshown a cartoon of a glass that is knocked off a table, a person with autism predicts that it willbreak. When shown a cartoon of two people interacting with one another, however, subjects usu-ally cannot predict what the people will do at the end of the cartoon. Kana believes that this dif-ficulty with predicting the thoughts of others is one reason that they have trouble with social sit-uations.

The research conducted in Kana’s lab is also targeted at improving the lives of people withautism. Kana and his colleagues theorize that a contributing factor to autism is brain undercon-nectivity, meaning that different regions of the brain do not communicate well with one anoth-er. In an upcoming project, Kana plans to scan several autistic children and thendesign an intensive intervention program to address their social difficulties. Aftercompleting the training outside the laboratory, the patients will return for a secondimaging session. Kana hopes that the training program will result in increased brainconnectivity and improve the patients’ social skills.

In the future, Kana is planning to conduct a hyperscanning project in conjunc-tion with Baylor College of Medicine. The plan involves placing two subjects in twodifferent fMRI scanners at the same time, and these subjects will be scanned whileinteracting with one another through a video game. This will create a unique socialsituation that is much more complex than any predesigned experiment.

We applaud Dr. Rajesh Kana for his work to understand autism, and we encour-age Junior Civitans everywhere to support the research of all the scientists at theUAB Civitan International Research Center.

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5 COUNTDOWN MAGAZINE

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Autism is a brain development disorder whichis usually noticed in children before the age ofthree. The causes of autism are complex andnot fully understood, but scientists think thatgenetics play a substantial role.

Autism is a very diverse disorder, so individu-als may experience either mild or severe symp-toms. Most with autism experience problemsin three areas:

•Difficulty with social situations•Limited language and communica-tion skills•Repetitive behavior and limited interests

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging(fMRI) measures blood flow during periods ofbrain activity. These measurements are used tocreate a detailed image of the brain; duringmost studies, Dr. Kana can take a complete pic-ture of the brain every second. The fMRI scan-ner at the Research Center, which was provid-ed in part by a grant from Civitan’sChesapeake District Foundation, is one of thefew head-only scanners in the world devotedpurely to research.

What is autism?

What is an fMRI?

Cartoons and video gamesmay seem unimportant,but in the right handsthey can improve ourknowledge of the brain’seffect on developmentaldisabilities. At the UABCivitan InternationalResearch Center, Dr.Rajesh Kana uses theseunique tools to learn moreabout autism.

What are the symptoms?

&research center

Cartoons, Video Games,and

Developmental Disabilities

K

Take ActionTake Action on the

“R-Word”

Get informed!The terms dumb, idiot, spaz and lame all originated asmedical terms for disabilities. Unfortunately, these wordshave now entered popular culture as negative terms fordisabled individuals; even the dictionary has beenrevised to include the more common, derogatory mean-ings of these words. One of the most hurtfulterms currently in use is the word “retarded”. Atone time, this was merely a medical description.Now, calling someone a retard is the same as call-ing them stupid, ridiculous or weird, all of whichare negative and incredibly demeaning.

The result? The “r-word” now has a very hurt-ful meaning. No one wants to be called a negativename, especially people with developmental dis-abilities. How can we advocate for equality andinclusion if people use language that describesthe disabled as stupid, ridiculous and weird?

What can I do?The first step is personal responsibility, so don’tuse these derogatory terms yourself. Words cancarry with them immense emotional baggage.Don’t get caught up in using popular slang with-out thinking about the consequences of yourwords. By using the “r-word,” you are contribut-ing to the inequality, mistreatment and oppres-sion of people with disabilities. Make a decisionto be part of the solution.

Feeling a little more brave? Then the nextstep is to actually intervene when others say it.This can be hard to imagine, but if you thinkabout what you’ll say in advance you’ll be morecomfortable letting others know how you feel.When challenged on the use of the “r-word,”people often respond that they didn’t mean it“that” way. Unfortunately, what people hearisn’t always what the speaker meant. It’s far eas-ier to just say what you actually mean.

Still not sure about how you can help? Surfon over to www.r-word.org to see what SpecialOlympics is doing to combat the “r-word” andthe use of pejorative languages.

Princess Mårtha Louise received flowers from SpecialOlympics Norway’s participant at the 2007 China

games, Katelyn Gabin.

NFL quarterback Jake Delhomme and his cousin,Kevin Melancon. Kevin is a former Special Olympian.

8www.juniorcivi tan.org7 COUNTDOWN MAGAZINE

civitan center stage

he 87th president of Civitan International describes himselfusing a phrase from the Junior Civitan Creed — “A Citizen ofToday.” A resident of Nashville, Tennessee, Danny Jackson

joined the U.S. Army after graduating from high school in 1969. Withtraining as a helicopter door gunner, he served a six year stint in theNational Guard. During this time he met his wife, Corine, on a blinddate.

After leaving the National Guard, Jackson began his career as a pub-lic servant with the metropolitan government of Nashville-Davidson

County. He also pursued his dream of becoming the first person in hisfamily to earn a college degree. After graduating, Jackson wanted tohelp others as he had been helped as a student and young adult. It wasthen that a fellow church member invited him to join Civitan.

In 1984, Jackson joined the Green Hills club in Nashville. He servedhis club in almost every office, and he was elected district governor in1993. Jackson went on to serve as a member of various International

“ACitizen

ofToday”

Danny Jackson, 2008-2009 Civitan International President

committees. Beginning in the mid-1990’s, the Civitan International GolfBenefit had claimed Jackson as one of its driving (no pun intended)forces. His leadership in these international areas prepared him for theopportunity to serve as an international director.

Jackson is also committed to his family, faith and friends. Many ofhis family members have also served as Civitans. Corine has served as anofficer in two clubs and governor of the Valley District, and their daugh-ter was a Junior Civitan governor of the Valley District. The Jacksonsattend Hillsboro Church of Christ in Nashville, and they consider

Civitan an avenue of service to humanity that is in keeping with theirreligious beliefs. Civitan also affords the Jacksons lifelong friendships.One of the aspects of Civitan meetings and conventions that they mostenjoy is the opportunity to renew friendships and meet new people.

Jackson has chosen “Civitan: Meeting the Challenge” as his theme forthe 2008-2009 year. As he and other Civitans Meet the Challenge everyday, Jackson is confident that Civitan will reach new heights this year.

The 87th president of Civitan International describes himselfusing a phrase from the Junior Civitan Creed —

“A Citizen of Today.”

T

unior Civitans have a long history of support for the developmentally disabled. SpecialOlympics, a long-time partner in service of Civitan International, is leading a new effortto eliminate the derogatory use of the “r-word” (retard) from everyday language. Civitan

has joined this fight to end the use of the “r-word” and to eradicate other negative stereotypes associ-ated with people with intellectual disabilities.

Jto elim-

inating use of the “r-word” fromeveryday language, it’s impor-tant to let others know how youfeel. If you think beforehandabout what you will say, it’s pos-sible to be polite but firm whenthe situation arises. Here is onesample conversation to help youconsider how you can easilyintervene to prevent the use ofthe “r-word.”

MMaatttt:: “… and that’s how I rippedmy pants!”

JJoohhnn:: (laughing) “You’re such aretard.”

MMaatttt:: “Hey, don’t use that word.Just because I’m a little clumsydoesn’t mean I have a disability.”

JJoohhnn:: “Come on, I didn’t mean itlike that.”

MMaatttt:: “Maybe not, but it’s offen-sive to people. Drop it.”

Once you’ve committed

By Tracy Beck, Nativic of Dundas Junior Civitan Club Advisor

LANCASTER

10www.juniorcivi tan.org9 COUNTDOWN MAGAZINE

Fluent in ServiceIt’s not easy to be among Junior Civitan’s finest. It takes self-respect, compassion, willpow-er and self-sacrifice – qualities which members of the Lancaster Junior Civitan Club aredeeply committed to. For their dedication, they were selected as the 2007-2008 Club of theYear. Several factors contributed to the club’s successful year.[ ]Committed Membership

Lancaster’s members each performed anaverage of 135 service hours, and fourmembers put in over 400 hours. Thisdedication ensured that manpower wasavailable for any event. To coordinatethis workforce, officers arranged almost40 meetings throughout the year.

Emphasis on ServiceWith over 70 projects and campaignsthroughout the year, there were fewdays when the club wasn’t at work onsome activity. During the holidaysmembers bought food for a needyfamily, provided Christmas gifts forunderprivileged children, and helpedto organize the hundreds of groups inthe town Christmas parade. ForCollection Selection, the club workedin several different venues to collectover 4,000 cans for a food bank.During the Social Causes AwarenessCampaign, they set up a Christmastree with one light for each personkilled in a drunken driving accidentduring the last year. Other club proj-ects helped their school’s teachers,the American Red Cross, and theirvolunteer fire department.

Fundraising DiversityMembers collected pennies for theLeukemia Society of America, soldcandy for the UAB CivitanInternational Research Center, andhelped the school collect money fordiabetes research. Over the course ofthe year, the club raised $12,000 fordeserving organizations.

Fun and FlexibilityLancaster succeeded becausethey remembered to relax andhave fun. Club members oftenwent to dinner together afterclub meetings, forming bondsthat strengthened the club.Many of the club’s activitieswere also enjoyable; for example,they sent two representatives to dance for 12 hours straight at Dance-A-Thon, and sevenmembers made the trip toGreensboro for the 2007International Convention. Theclub was also flexible, with mem-bers willing to branch out andtake on new projects. As theyimproved the landscaping at twoschools, they learned how toplan landscaping projects, workwith tools and care for plants.

Generating PublicityThe club was frequently recog-nized for their outstanding com-munity involvement, receiving cov-erage in 11 different publicationsor media outlets. Though the clubis usually featured in local newspa-pers, the 2007-2008 year markedthe first time that the clubappeared frequently on TV. In onebroadcast, the club’s president wasable to speak for several minutesabout the club and their service tothe community.

2008 International Club of the Year

12www.juniorcivi tan.org11 COUNTDOWN MAGAZINE

OUTDOINGEVERYTHING OUTDOINGEVERYTHING OUTDOING EVERYTHING OUTDOINGEVERYTHING OUTDOING EVERYTHING

outdoing everything outdoing everything

OUTDOINGEVERYTHING OUTDOINGEVERYTHING OUTDOING EVERYTHING OUTDOINGEVERYTHING OUTDOING EVERYTHING

Socastee High School (Myrtle Beach, SouthCarolina) has had a great year so far! They collected itemsfor troops in Iraq as part of International’s CollectionSelection Campaign, cleaned their football stadium aftergames, conducted a great membership drive whichbrought in 40 new members, and held a successful “Centsfor Civitan” fundraiser. After a special needs student attheir school was diagnosed with terminal cancer, the cluborganized a benefit concert to help with the family’s med-ical bills; coordinating the event was hard work, but itinspired those who attended and provided much-neededassistance for the family. Socastee also held a Turkey Trotrace on Thanksgiving morning, giving out prizes to the win-ners of six different categories. The money raised at theevent supported a Christmas party for special educationstudents at the school.

Little Rock Central High School (Little Rock,Arkansas) participated in the fourth annual DownSyndrome Dance, hosted by the Little Rock Zoo. The dancewas free for people with Down syndrome and their familymembers. Over 400 people came out to this day-long eventfor dancing, hamburgers, face painting and a surprise visitfrom Elvis. The club had a blast at the dance, and theycan’t wait to help out next year.

Ed White High School (Jacksonville, Florida) beganthe year by inducting 90 members at their initiation cere-mony. Their first event was the Light the Night fundraiserfor the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. As part of theirannual ongoing environmental project, members cleanedup their campus and stadium after home football games.During flu season, the club collected Kleenex and handsanitizer and donated them to a local preschool.

Alabama School of Mathematics andScience (Mobile, Alabama) collected canned food itemsas part of the Collection Selection Campaign. They dividedtheir school into four teams, with each trying to bring in themost food. This friendly competition was great for the foodbanks who received the donations!

Pleasant View (Pleasant View, Tennessee) donatedbackpacks filled with supplies to elementary school stu-dents, helping underprivileged children start the newschool year successfully.

Homestead (Homestead, Florida) spent several Saturdaymornings playing soccer with VIP players of the AmericanYouth Soccer Organization. All the VIP players are childrenwith mental and physical disabilities, but Homestead mem-bers say that they play a great game of soccer!

Benton Junior High (Benton, Arkansas) participatedin Make a Difference Day at the Benton Civitan Center,where they put on a Halloween-themed dance for theCivitan Services’ clients. Members had a great time deco-rating the facility and then put on their best costumes toassist with the dance. The club visited the clients again atThanksgiving, listening to their plans for the holidays andgetting to know them better.

Mooresville High School (Mooresville, NorthCarolina) collected more than 400 items for families inneed during the holidays. They are now preparing for aBattle of the Bands contest which will raise money fortheir local soup kitchen.

Auburn High School (Auburn, Alabama) membershelped Auburn Civitans at the city’s Fall Festival. The eventraised money for their schools, and the club got to learnmore about their sponsoring Civitans. For their next proj-ect, several club members woke up bright and early to vol-unteer at a 10K race which supported heart diseaseresearch. Their final project of the fall semester involvedworking at booths for the Auburn Early Education Center’sFamily Fun Night. The club enjoyed painting faces andsupervising games, but they were even more excited aboutraising money for the education center!

After one of their members was diagnosed with diabetes,Evans (Albertville, Alabama) raised hundreds of dollarsfor the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation by walkingin the organization’s Fall Walk.

Pelham (Pelham, Alabama) held two outstanding serviceprojects during December. First, 15 members helped theSalvation Army with their Red Kettle Campaign. TheSalvation Army used the donations that the club collectedto provide Christmas dinners, clothing, toys and emer-gency assistance for families in need. Their second projectsupported the county sheriff’s Toys for Needy Children pro-gram. They adopted two “Junior Deputies,” purchasingChristmas gifts requested by the two children.

Auburn

Ed White

Homestead

Little Rock Central

Pelham

Socastee

Pleasant View

Benton

13 COUNTDOWN MAGAZINE 14www.juniorcivi tan.org

OUTDOINGEVERYTHING OUTDOINGEVERYTHING OUTDOING EVERYTHING OUTDOINGEVERYTHING OUTDOING EVERYTHING

outdoing everything

April is approaching, and that means two things: Advisor Appreciation Month and Civitan AppreciationMonth! This is a great time to show your advisor and sponsoring Civitans how much you care about them.It’s easy to do, and your appreciation means so much to them.

There are lots of great ways to show your advisor what he or she means to you. Consider giving them agift basket filled with things they enjoy, or set aside a meeting to hold a special party that will thank him orher for the great year. Don’t worry too much about selecting that perfect gift — your advisor will like any-thing that you put thought and concern into.

To honor your sponsoring Civitan club, you could prepare a special dinner (Here’s a hint: spaghetti iseasy to cook!). Talk to your Civitans during dinner, and be sure to let them know how thankful you are forall the support that they provide your club. If you don’t trust your cooking skills enough to prepare a din-ner, remember that your Civitans will love anything in which you show them how much you value their spon-sorship.

Also, remember that the Civitan Supply House has appreciation certificates that you can use to recog-nize these special people. I look forward to hearing all about the cool and thoughtful things you will do foryour advisor and sponsoring Civitans!

Bishop Moore Catholic High School (Orlando,Florida) visits the Coalition of the Homeless each month toserve those staying at the shelter. They also had a greatturnout at their annual Bowl-A-Thon, raising over $7,500.

Hialeah High School (Miami, Florida) participated ina community-wide cleanup of Monument Island, a populargetaway spot for boaters and picnickers. Members pickedup bottles, cans and other trash that threatened the island’snatural beauty. Next, they united with the Best Buddiesclub at their school to collect supplies for abandoned andneglected pets. Finally, they have an ongoing project to col-lect items needed by soldiers stationed in Iraq. Last year,the club sent several truck loads of supplies and corre-sponded many times with the grateful troops!

The first project undertaken by Fletcher (NeptuneBeach, Florida) was an Intergenerational Living HistoryDinner. After their advisor gave them interviewing tips andsample questions, the newly chartered club visited resi-dents of an independent living facility. Members enjoyedlearning from an older generation and hearing about theirlife experiences, and residents of the facility enjoyed mak-ing new friends!

El Camino High School (Oceanside, California)observed World Junior Civitan Day by hitting the beach!After slipping on plastic gloves and cleanup gear, everyonespent several hours picking up trash along the shoreline.After the beach was returned to pristine condition, every-one enjoyed a relaxing swim and freshly grilled hamburg-ers.

North Davie Middle School (Mocksville, NorthCarolina) supported their community through the Friends ofthe Library Book Sale. During the library’s used book sale,club members greeted patrons, passed out shopping bags,and cleaned up at the end of the day. Members also col-lected warm clothes and toiletries for teens at the EckerdYouth Alternative Wilderness residential camp, and theyassisted Special Olympians with games and activities attheir Halloween carnival. During the holidays North Daviemade Christmas cards for nursing home residents, helpedpreschoolers at Smart Start make Christmas crafts, andworked with their sponsoring club to ring bells for theSalvation Army Red Kettle Campaign.

outdoing everything

Hayesville Middle School (Hayesville, NorthCarolina) recently won the 2008 Outstanding OrganizationAward for their Special Olympics area. The club has a longhistory of support for Special Olympics, so they are trulydeserving of this honor!

More than 300 members of the South CarolinaDistrict joined 40 South Carolina Civitans for FunFest, theannual fall gathering of the district’s Junior Civitans. Thiswas the first time this year that the two groups have mettogether, and it turned out to be a great idea! In addition tohanging out, ice-skating and going on a crazy scavengerhunt, everyone learned tips and ideas for improving theirclubs. Members attended a mock recruitment luncheon tolearn membership recruitment techniques, and a scientistfrom the UAB Civitan International Research Center provid-ed an update on their studies of developmental disabilities.Inspired by this presentation, those attending the meetingdonated over $8,000 to the Research Center.

East Rowan (Salisbury, North Carolina) continued aproject that has been a club tradition for decades. Eachyear at Christmas, members visit a local senior center tospend time with their community’s senior citizens. Thisyear the club hosted a Christmas party for 32 of the resi-dents, purchasing gifts and delivering them to the center.As an added treat, the club brought the school’s HonorsChorus to entertain the residents.

East Rowan

El Camino

Hialeah

North Davie

South Carolina

OUTDOINGEVERYTHING OUTDOINGEVERYTHING OUTDOING EVERYTHING OUTDOINGEVERYTHING OUTDOING EVERYTHING

Don’t

Forget!

AApprriill:: Advisor Appreciation and Civitan Appreciation Month

Appreciate Your Advisor, and Celebrate Those Civitans!By Bobby FarleyInternational Director and Project Chair

15 COUNTDOWN MAGAZINE 16www.juniorcivi tan.org

best in servicebest in service

ACT NOW

Community PartnersNorth Carolina has 23 new volunteers, thanks to the creation of the Community Partners Junior Civitan Club (Holly Springs, North Carolina).Several Civitan governors and lieutenant governors attended the charter ceremony on November 20, as did North Carolina Junior CivitanGovernor Alyssa Baker. Principal Carroll Reed spoke about the school’s pride in the group, and Charter President Katie Haynes commentedon the great opportunity to serve others through Junior Civitan. The new club was proudly sponsored by the Holly Springs Civitan Club.

FletcherFletcher (Neptune Beach, Florida) chartered on October 17.During the banquet at Vista del Mar oceanfront clubhouse, theclub’s leaders were installed by Florida District officers JeanSmith and Mattie Fraser. Matthew Pendleton, president of theSandalwood Junior Civitan Club, was the guest speaker. BethCaudle, the club’s faculty advisor, encouraged the club to servetheir community and represent their school well. Members plan tofocus on projects which benefit senior citizens, their school andthe environment.

BlythewoodThe charter ceremony for Blythewood High School (Blythewood,South Carolina) was held on November 18. Governor ShanellRansom told everyone in attendance about the great work of JuniorCivitans in South Carolina, and she and Lieutenant Governor EmilyRitchey inducted the club members. Richard Gay, district chairper-son, installed the officers and recognized Columbia Civitan memberLeland Huber as the club builder. Columbia Civitan President JackInabernat presented the club with a Civitan bell that has belongedto the Columbia club since it was chartered. Under the direction ofadvisors Martha Anne Boseski and Karen Gamble, the new club isplanning several projects that will improve their community.

DuesReminderDon’t forget that dueswere due! If you haven’treceived your club’s duesreporting information,contact International byE-mailing

juniorcivitan@civitan.org.

ConventionMentionFun, fellowship, and inspiration await you.June 25-28, 2009, will be an unforgettableweekend for Junior Civitans everywhere.Plan now to come to Atlanta, Georgia, soyou can attend the international convention.Check out the back cover for more informa-tion on this upcoming event. Mark yourcalendar NOW!

Shhhh! Advisor Appreciation month will be herebefore you know it! April is the time wereserve for honoring and thanking the peo-ple who guide our clubs to success. Somegood ideas for showing gratitude to youradvisor include having a special dinner,presenting a gift card, nominating youradvisor for a Junior Fellow, and presentinga cake, plaque or gift to your advisor at ameeting. Keep in mind that without ourclub advisors, we would have no JuniorCivitan clubs and no organization. Showthem how much you really appreciate themand all they do for you!

Donations NeededSno-Do is the event that is definitely “bestwhen chilled!” This is a great opportunity forgovernors and international officers to sup-port our Civitan International ResearchCenter. It is also a wonderful time for clubs toassist the Research Center through dona-tions. Each club receives a banner patch recognizing this support. It is never too late!Please help support our Civitan InternationalResearch Center and send a donation today!

Calling all ClubsWe are anxiously awaiting news about youractivities. Be sure to let us know about yourparticipation in international projects! Makesure you report your Collection Selectionproject so that we can let you know whether or not we’ve reached our goal. E-mail juniorcivitan@civitan.org withyour update.

Be Friendlyto yourEarth.From deforestation toair and water pollution,the Earth is impacted byhumans daily. Make yourown impact by combatingthese effects. Visit www.earthday.netfor project ideas to take action during ourspring Environmental AwarenessCampaign. Report your participation tointernational and be recognized at theinternational convention.

Greetings JuniorCivitans!

I can’t believe it, but we are alreadyhalfway through this Junior Civitan year! Sofar we have built 11 new clubs, which isexcellent! I want to remind everyone to keeprecruiting new members; it’s never too late tobecome a Junior Civitan. Everyone is off to agreat start, so don’t stop now. Keep up thegood work.

As we head into our two biggest fundrais-ers, let us not forget to support our governorsin Sno-Do and your district’s representative for the Canadian Dance-a-thon.Your club’s financial support benefits a greatcause, the UAB Civitan International ResearchCenter, and it’s definitely a rewarding experience.

Speaking of support, your club advisorsand sponsoring Civitans deserve your recognition and appreciation. Plan somethingspecial to show your gratitude.

The site for the 2009 international convention has been approved for Atlanta,Georgia. More details will be coming your wayvia email and our next magazine. I stronglyencourage you to attend, and I promise that itwill be one of the best times of your life!

Most importantly, I want you to keep serving. We are a service organization, andmaking the world a better place is what weare all about! While you’re out serving, alwaysremember to unleash your Unbridled Spirit!

Yours in Civitan,

President’s Message

$ClubChartersNew

The 2009 Junior Civitan International Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, may be one of thebest ever! Attendees will have the chance to visit some of the Southeast’s most excitingattractions during their free time, and the convention itself will be exciting, rewarding andstimulating. Every Junior Civitan needs to start making plans to attend this great event! Ifyou’re not there, you’ll miss…

The world’s largest aquarium. The Georgia Aquarium holds more than 120,000 animals ineight million gallons of water, from sharks to whales to manta rays.

The chance to shape the future. If you’re not at the convention, you can’t elect new leadersto guide Junior Civitan in 2009-2010.

A taste test of 70 Coca-Cola drinks from around the world. The World of Coca-Cola, locat-ed beside the Georgia Aquarium, has a multi-sensory 4-D theater, Coca-Cola advertisingmerchandise, and a live bottling line which produces souvenir beverages.

Updates on Junior Civitan programs. The hard work you put into many of your fundraiserssupport great projects like the UAB Civitan International Research Center. Don’t you wantto hear what your efforts are accomplishing?

Great sports opportunities. If you’re not in Atlanta, you won’t have the chance to see inter-active exhibits and memorabilia from professional sports teams like the Braves, Falconsand Thrashers.

Dances, dances, dances. Your two nights on the dance floor give you the chance to makenew friends and learn new moves.

The headquarters of America’s biggest cable news station. At the CNN Center, you cantake a behind-the-scenes tour and see broadcasting in action.

New ideas and fresh life for your club. Workshops at the convention provide innovativerecruitment strategies, unique fundraising suggestions and new project ideas.

The birthplace and gravesite of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Atlanta is home to Dr. King’sbirth home, his childhood church and a museum with artifacts such as his Nobel PeacePrize.

Recognition of Junior Civitan’s finest. If you’re not at the closing banquet and awards cere-monies, you won’t see the people and projects who receive Junior Civitan’s highest awards.

All these opportunities make this a gathering that you don’t want to miss! For moreinformation, check the Spring 2009 issue of Countdown, or visit wwwwww..jjuunniioorrcciivviittaann..oorrgg.

We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta on June 25-28, 2009!

Registration Fee includes:•3 nights hotel lodging•4 meals•opening ceremonies•meet the candidates forum•two dances•Friday night special event•educational and leadership seminars•international officer elections•international business session•foundation program•closing ceremonies•semi-formal international banquet•international awards presentations

Tentative Weekend AgendaThursday

•Registration•Dinner•Opening Ceremonies•Dance

Friday•Workshops•Lunch•Meet the Candidates Forum•Dinner•A Night with the Appalachian

Saturday•International Business Session•Election of International Officers•Foundation Program•Free Afternoon•International Banquet with International

Awards and Closing Ceremonies •Dance

Registration Fee ScheduleYouth (4 to a room) . . . . . . $199 per personAdult (4 to a room) . . . . . . $230 per personAdult (3 to a room) . . . . . . $255 per personAdult (2 to a room) . . . . . . $305 per personAdult (single) . . . . . . . . . . . $440 per person

2009 Junior International Convention

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