Arab Civitan Club's Radio Day helps fund local projects

By ARCHIE ANDERSON

The Arab Tribune

As times continue to change, many traditions seem to be hanging on for dear life. While it is noticeably different than the early years, Civitan Radio Day marches on at WRAB (107.1 FM and AM 1380) with a very active club. 

Arab Civitans have been coming to the local radio station once a year since the station first came on the air in 1961, other than 2020, when Covid ruled the world. 

For years, Civitans read ads, told jokes and even did a little weather for the annual fund-raiser in their efforts to help people in various ways. It was practically talk-radio all day long, but entertaining in its own special way, especially with the likes of Kermit Gibbs and Garfield Traylor in the old days, doing what they could to keep the younger staff at the station under control. 

Nowadays, the ads Civitans sell are spread out over about a two-week period, allowing the station to stay closer to the daily format of music and news.

In any case, it’s all for a great cause to help a hard working group help others. 

Donna Grice, a past president and currently secretary/treasurer for the club, was on hand to discuss the work of the Civitans, and even do a couple of live ads for old-times sake. 

“Our club chartered in 1959 here in Arab,” Grice said. “Like everything else, the club has changed. We’ve become much more of a service oriented group.” 

The club tries to serve people in various ways, locally and elsewhere, and that takes money and dedication. 

“For years the club tried to do a couple of big projects a year. Now we try to do at least two projects a month on average, but we only have three fundraisers,” she said. 

And, there’s a reason for that. 

“When people are considering joining the club, we don’t want them to think they’re going to spend all their time trying to raise funds to do all we do,” Grice said. “Radio day is our major fundraiser that helps tremendously, and we appreciate the station for allowing us to keep this going. We also sell Claxton fruitcakes during the Christmas season that go through Warehouse Discount Groceries and Foodland and in the spring, we sell Vidalia onions, but we couldn’t do any of this without the people of Arab. We are almost totally dependent on local businesses to sell our ads for radio day, and that’s why we do most of our projects in the Arab area.” 

Those projects affect a lot of different people and a lot of different ages.

“One of our biggest projects as far as expense is concerned and I hope does a lot of good is Cookies with Santa that we do each year,” Grice said. “We’ve had that at the Old Greenhouse the last couple of years and last year was the largest one we’ve ever had with over 300 kids. These are children that wouldn’t get to go see Santa otherwise. They get a free picture that’s printed while they’re there they can keep along with cookies and juice or milk. 

“Thankfully, our Junior Civitans help us out with this because we couldn’t do it without them and Caring Heart has helped us out with the rent of the building which is a big help,” she continued. 

Needless to say, there are many people touched by the Civitans in other ways, such as the annual cook-outs for high school seniors and Special Olympians, “goody bags” for clients at the Marshall Cancer Center, a diaper drive and more.  

Outside the local area, the local Civitans also give to the Civitans International. 

“Our flagship project is working with the developmentally disabled,” Grice said. “Over 20 years ago the Civitans pledged $20 million for a research center to be located on the campus of UAB and we met that goal about four years ago.  

“We decided at that point it was still something we wanted to continue to support. There are over 100 scientists at the center and most of the money we donate every year is seed money they can use to get grants and things like that,” she continued. “They’re doing a lot of good things there and in today’s society, autism is a big issue. Several of the scientists are working specifically on that and if we could get a breakthrough in that area, every dollar we raise would be worth it.” 

A local related effort includes “sensory kits” for the children themselves, that includes vital information allowing them to communicate with emergency personnel, as well as kits for law enforcement officers that include things like sound-deafening headphones and sunglasses since those children are often sensitive to loud sounds and flashing lights. 

That’s not all. 

“Between the Brindlee Mountain and Arab schools, there are over 80 special education teachers,” Grice said. “It’s amazing we have that many, but they’re all needed, and we try to let them know they are appreciated. Every year we give them a bag with a few things just to say thank you. Not to say all our teachers don’t deserve thanks, but because the developmentally disabled is our flagship, we wanted to recognize what these people do for us.” 

If you would be interested in being a Civitan, just give Donna a call at 256-506-5113. 

You can also learn more about the Civitans and their work by going to their Facebook page, Arab Civitans.