Civitan, a worldwide community service organization, was founded in 1917. the name Civitan is taken from the Latin word civitas, which means citizenship. Civitan's motto is "Builders of Good Citizenship".

Today, there are approximately 50,000 men, women, and young people in nearly 1, 500 Civitan and Junior Civitan clubs worldwide. Since the 1930's, Civitan International 's major focus has been towards helping people with mental and physical disabilities; however, local clubs are involved in a variety of community service projects, based on the needs of their communities.

Civitans believe in helping others through "hands-on" projects. Since the 1960's the Civitan International Foundation has contributed more than $12 million to build group homes for the mentally retarded, give college scholarships, support Special Olympics, educate school children, help mentally and physically handicapped individuals, and create the Civitan International Research Center.