Phil Campbell pursues Civitan charter

The Junior Civitan Club in Phil Campbell is an active group, and now adults from the community are working to start their own Civitan Club for Phil Campbell.

To help them get this prospective club started, the Russellville Civitan Club presented Lisa Hall with a check.

“Amy Gunderman saw the need for Phil Campbell to have a Civitan Club and reached out to the community for support,” Hall said.

There used to be a Phil Campbell Civitan Club, and in 2008 Gunderman volunteered to help start the Junior Civitan Club at the high school. In 2011 the Phil Campbell Civitan Club disbanded after the tornado, and ever since then, the Junior Civitan Club has had to reach out to other charters for support, Gunderman said.

“We’ve had to find different sponsors every year because you can’t have a Junior Civitan Club without a sponsor,” Gunderman explained.

Recent renewed community interest has sparked the drive to get a new Phil Campbell charter going. Twenty members are needed to maintain a charter, and Gunderman said the fledgling club needs five or six more people to reach that goal.

“We need a club. It will help get things going in Phil Campbell again and encourage community involvement,” she said.

Civitan’s motto is to “make the world a better place,” and that is what Gunderman said the local club’s goal will be, too. Members will undertake projects to improve Phil Campbell, help those in need and provide scholarships to students seeking to further their education.

Prospective members are meeting every other Thursday in the Phil Campbell Community Center at 6 p.m. To join or find out more information, contact Gunderman at amygunderman@franklin.k12.al.us or Hall at dougle72@yahoo.com.