On the Town: Foothill Civitan Club hosts annual Casino Night
For the past 34 years, it has been a “sure-thing” bet for numerous local charitable organizations as well as community event and program facilitators that the members of the Foothill Civitan Club of Burbank could be counted on for financial support.
In order to continue their long-standing philanthropy, club members gathered at Pickwick Gardens for their 34th annual Casino Night fundraiser this past Friday evening.
Welcomed by the organization’s president, Mary Bernier, and event chairwoman, Liz Kenny, local Civitans enjoyed a dinner show headlined by songstress and Burbank High School alumna Robin Grosmark, and then tempted the fates at the blackjack, craps, roulette and poker tables.
Since it was chartered on Sept. 23, 1977, the Foothill Civitan Club has remained a leader in service projects in Burbank. Members have underwritten the cost of three assistance dogs from Canine Companions for Independence at a cost of $10,000 per dog and have provided scholarships for many local high school students.
Among the causes and organizations they have embraced over the years are Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Burbank Salvation Army, Hands Across the Battlefield, the Burbank Park, Recreation and Community Services Department, the Burbank Coordinating Council’s annual Christmas Basket Program, BCR “A Place to Grow” and the Civitan International Research Center.
The organization has also established a tradition in Burbank by staging the annual Civitan Day Hap Minor Baseball Jamboree and the Girls Softball Ponytail Jamboree.
Among the many whose time and talents made this year’s fundraiser a success were Karen Hubbard, Joani Kilgore, Joanne Adams and Jenice McGlynn, who handled the welcoming and check-in duties at Friday’s gala.
Others whose dedication and support were lauded by President Bernier included Judy Torres, Sandy Dennis, Judy Henry, Sandy Lucas, Kathy Kenny, Terri McDonald, Dee Dee Ruhlow, Shirley Witt, Janet Jordan and Dolores Flanagan.
The Foothill Civitan Club of Burbank is the local chapter of the Birmingham, Ala.-based Civitan International, a worldwide community service organization of men and women in 22 nations on four continents who provide service with an emphasis on aid to persons with developmental disabilities and special needs. It is also committed to developing youth leadership and good citizenship on local, state and national levels.
Civitans also fund the Civitan International Research Center, a research and treatment facility for developmental disabilities, located on the campus of the University of Alabama.
Established in 1990 with a $20-million grant from the Civitan International Foundation, the research center was the first institution of its kind in the United States to be focused solely on the research of developmental disabilities. Medical professionals from all over the world come to the center for training on developmental disabilities.
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DAVID LAURELL may be reached by email at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.
