The first Civitan meeting was held on March 17, 1917.  The organization was started by a group of businessmen in Birmingham, AL that had recently organized a Rotary Club.  After a couple of months of attending, they decided, whether properly or not, that the main purpose of the Rotary organization was to make money for someone and the group surrendered their charter.  They wanted a local, independent, service-oriented club that was committed to building up the community rather than to increase the business of the members. After much discussion Civitan was chosen as the name of the new organization and “builders of Good Citizenship” was selected as the motto. The original Civitan club followed the classification system of Rotary whereby only one banker, one preacher, and one lawyer could join a specific club.  Since Birmingham had only been a town for about 20 years, there were no street lights in the downtown area. So, the first service project was to install street lights so that the streets would be safer at night. By 1920 the club had grown to almost 200 members. The club published a weekly newsletter which included biographies of members, inspirational features, and club information. The Mother Club gave out annual perfect attendance prizes. The prizes were packages of grits. They even offered $100 in gold for the best submission of a club song.  It needed to be “snappy, tuneful, and zippy”, a song that Builders of Good Citizenship could sing at their luncheons and at national conventions. Since America had entered World War 1 one month after the forming of the first Civitan club, they initiated club projects to support the Allied war effort in Europe with Red Cross and Liberty Loan drives and campaigns for Fatherless Children of France.

By 1920, other southern cities were inquiring about Civitans.  The dream of an international organization began with Dr. Courtney Shropshire, a local surgeon and the club’s third president. He shared his vision with a few close friends in the Birmingham Club, and the proposal was given unanimous approval. So in 1920 the members of the “mother club” filed incorporation papers and created the International Association of Civitan Clubs.  In 1921 the organization held their first convention in Birmingham and there were 30 clubs with more than 300 delegates in attendance.  At the second convention in Chattanooga there were delegates from 115 clubs.

In the 1920’s there were 20 clubs chartered in the cities which are now known as Alabama North. Of those clubs, nine have remained continuously active. They are Huntsville, Gadsden, Anniston, Guntersville, Albertville, Boaz (which in 2015 merged with Community of Boaz), Florence, Haleyville, and Rogersville.

From the very beginning, Civitan encouraged its clubs to seek out and fulfill needs within their communities. Some truly outstanding projects were undertaken by these early Civitans. In 1923 Knoxville, Tennessee, Civitans raised $100,000 to build a three-story hospital for indigent tuberculosis patients. In 1929, when the local school committee was deadlocked, Rogersville, Alabama, Civitans secured $40,000 in funding to build a new high school. In the 1950’s the Rogersville Civitans saw that the city needed a cemetery.  They bought land and created the only Civitan cemetery in the world.  Later, the city took over the cemetery, but the name remains. Other Civitans clubs paid for operations so that crippled children could walk, built parks, served as big brothers to troubled boys, and registered voters.

One of Civitans’ signature fundraisers began in 1951. Civitan Earl Carver stopped by a small bakery in Claxton, Georgia. He purchased a loaf of the bakery’s fruit cake. It was so good that he purchased others to take home to Florida. He suggested that his club sell the cake to raise money for projects. His club liked the idea – and the sample cakes! Since then, Civitan and Claxton Fruit Cake have become synonymous during the holiday season in the United States and Canada.

An informal association of women had been a part of Civitan since almost the beginning of the organization (the late 20s). They advanced the sociability of the men’s club and helped with club projects. But membership was formally opened to women in 1974, making Civitan the first major, all-male service club to accept women. Soon Civitans were building all-female clubs, and most established clubs began accepting both men and women.

Civitans other well-known fundraiser began in 1976 when the Louisville, KY Civitans approached the International board about a project to place candy boxes in restaurants. Patrons would deposit loose change in return for a mint.  Since then, the Candy and Coin Box Project has raised over $50 million for Civitans charitable projects.

In 1989 ground was broken on the Civitan International Research Center at UAB with a pledge to provide $1 million dollars per year for 20 years. To date, over $18 million has been donated.  The facility was dedicated in 1992.