NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Like many civic organizations, the Clarksville Civitan Club gathers each week to hear from guest speakers, raise money for charitable causes and look for ways to serve the community.
But several years ago, the nearly century-old club found itself facing an uncertain future.
“During the pandemic, at that time, we had to stop meeting,” said Clarksville Civitan Club President Bruce Myers.
WATCH: Clarksville Civitan Club welcomes the very people it serves
The disruption caused by COVID-19, isolation and a transition to virtual meetings took a toll on the organization.
“We were very much at a crossroads,” Myers said.
Looking for a way to revive the chapter, club leaders came up with an idea that would ultimately transform the organization: invite the very people Civitan has long worked to support to become members themselves.
“Our board of directors came up with the plan of inviting these people to be members at no cost and to feed them a meal each week,” Myers said.
Civitan International has long emphasized serving people with developmental disabilities. In Clarksville, leaders decided to take that mission a step further by bringing those individuals into the club as full members.
One of those members is Jeremy Stubblefield.
Stubblefield works washing dishes at Sweet Pea in Sango but says the weekly Civitan meetings are the highlight of his week.
“Because we’ve got to live every day, day by day, as if it were our last day on Earth,” Stubblefield said to another member.
He arrives early to help set up and often stays late to help them clean up. “I enjoy the fellowship and also getting to meet others,” Stubblefield said.
The club brings together people from different backgrounds who share a common goal of serving the community.
“Special needs has an important role in everybody’s life and not like they were years ago, just tossed around,” Stubblefield said.
The impact on the organization has been substantial.
According to club leaders, membership has grown from around 40 members before the program to more than 100 today.
“It’s always been our mission to support these folks, but I think we brought them close to us and they’re really part of us now,” Myers said.
Those new members have become active participants in the club’s service efforts and community projects. “You can’t actually work alone — you have to work with somebody else to get the job done,” Stubblefield said.
For Stubblefield, the club is about more than weekly lunches and guest speakers. It's an opportunity to serve, build relationships and demonstrate leadership.
“If we all gather together, we can make a team effort to get things done in the community,” he said.
Club leaders say the model has strengthened both the organization and its mission, creating a place where the people Civitan serves are also helping shape its future.
According to club leaders, the Clarksville Civitan Club may be the only chapter in the country that combines traditional members and the people it serves into a single membership in this way.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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