Civic group is disbanding, but donates to others first
By Steve Herring
Published in News on September 27, 2015 1:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Roger Smith, left, treasurer for the Goldsboro Civitan Club, uses a cell phone to do math while writing the final checks out of the account for the community service group that is disbanding after 75 years. Also pictured is Roger's son, Tim Smith, who is the sergeant at arms and former president of the club. Roger's wife, Beverly, is the secretary.
The Goldsboro Civitan Club Friday drew to a close 75 years of community service, but not before one more act of helping others -- giving out $9,500 to three local groups.
Chartered in November 1940, the club, which once boasted 100 members, had dwindled from 12 to just five members in recent months.
The club will officially cease to exist on Sept. 30, but at its final meeting Friday at K&W Cafeteria, it made donations of $6,000 to Edgewood Community Development School, $2,500 to the Special Olympics of Wayne County and $1,000 to the Wayne Pregnancy Care Center, a crisis pregnancy center.
Earlier, the club had donated $1,000 to the Duke Child Development Center and $4,000 to the Boys and Girls Home at Lake Waccamaw.
"We are saddened you are having to fold, but at the same time we know that the work that you have done will live on because of some of the things people see from them are things that we can use forever and forever amen," said Tasha Christian Adams, Edgewood principal. "We are eternally grateful for what you have done."
J.B. Price, North Carolina Civitans District East director and former club president, said the membership decline was because of health and aging members.
"We had gotten down to nothing," he said. "When you have 12 members and out of 12, six went at the same time. It was age and health and that was basically it. They just couldn't do what they were doing."
Price, who has been in Civitans for 36 years, said the decision to turn in the club charter was made about six weeks ago.
Roger Smith, club treasurer, told those at the meeting that the club has held candy box and fruit cakes fundraisers as well as a golf tournament.
"Through these fundraisers, we raise money and donate to folks like you," he said. "We are going to miss what we do for Civitans, but our club dropped by half its membership, and we just couldn't survive. I am the last officer. I am the treasurer, so I have the money to give out today."
The club and its members will be missed, said D'Leeshia Lee with Wayne County Special Olympics.
"It was blessing to receive the donation from them," she said. "They have helped out with so many programs and activities Special Olympics has had in the past. They have helped out a lot with a lot of the sponsorships of our athletes.
"So it is truly a blessing for our athletes who will be able to compete. I really appreciate all that the Civitans have done through the years."
It is a bittersweet moment, she said.
"We still hope they will come out and volunteer, or come out to our committee meetings -- just still be involved with Special Olympics. We would love to have them," she said.
Ms. Adams said the donation will be used to help pay to repave the outdoor basketball court at Edgewood.
"That will be a tremendous help to our students, just to get outside and experience some other different activities than what we already provide them on our playground," she said. "But as far as the Civitans and what they provide for us, oh my God, there are not enough words to say how they have come over and have just been volunteers.
"We have gotten appliances from them. Anything that we have needed, they have been there to help our students because they care about our children. That means a whole lot. They are going to be missed because they have been such an instrumental part of the school for so many years as our business partners. So to see them folding and moving on just really touched my heart because they have meant so much to us and the children of our school."
Beverly Weeks with Wayne Pregnancy Care Center agreed.
"I am so grateful to Roger and all of the Civitans for all of the community service that they have done in Wayne County," she said. "I am so grateful that they would include Wayne Pregnancy Care Center as a recipient of funding from their club.
"We will use that money to help provide resources for men, women and family who are facing an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy. I am filled with such gratitude that this last bit of funding that was in their club will go for the saving of many lives."