Hello! I am Taylor Austin. I am a senior at Union County High School in Union, S.C. I have been a member of Junior Civitan since my freshman year and am honored to represent the Junior Civitan program in Birmingham, Alabama at the All in Summit this coming Spring. The All In Summit is a weekend-long event that invites Junior Civitan club, district and international leaders to fundraise to attend.
Serving as a fundraiser for the Civitan International Research Center, this will be a time of fellowship, education, and service. The event will consist of a keynote speaker, leadership workshops, a service project, visit to the Civitan International Research Center, team building activities, free time, and more!

Civitan International is a worldwide association of local community service clubs whose mission is to strengthen local communities by providing a network of volunteers dedicated to serving individual and community needs, with an emphasis on helping people with developmental disabilities. The Civitan International Research Center, located on the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, was created in 1989 with a $20 million pledge from Civitan International. Since opening in 1992, the CIRC has emerged as a world leader in the research and treatment of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) which impact the lives of one in six people worldwide. Funding from Civitan International has resulted in the development of numerous research projects.

My grandfather was a Civitan for several years in the 90’s, my mother has been a Civitan for nearly 25 years, so it was no doubt that I would follow in their footsteps to help make the world a better place. This year, I am honored to serve as the Vice President of our Junior Civitain Club. There are several ways that our Union County High School Junior Civitan Club fundraise and collect items to support local service projects. On campus fundraisers are mainly food and drink sales throughout the year. We also partner with local businesses and individuals to collect items needed by other agencies and organizations to help people in need. Some collection items are for our local pregnancy center, secret Santa program, cancer centers, school clothes closet, food pantries, homeless ministries, drug rehab programs, our schools special education department and many more!

I am excited about this opportunity to learn more about the CIRC, community service and how I can continue to grow as a volunteer. My goal is to raise $1,500 to support the CIRC. Any donations are greatly appreciated and I am so thankful for any support that you contribute to my campaign. Bring on March!