Civitan, a worldwide community service organization, was founded in 1917 by a small group of businessmen who began meeting weekly to discuss how they could improve their community.  Civitan International was established three years later.

Today, there are approximately 55,000 men, women, and young people in nearly 1,800 Civitan, Campus Civitan, and Junior Civitan clubs worldwide.

Since the 1930s, Civitan International's major focus has been toward helping people with developmental disabilities; however, local clubs are involved in a variety of community service projects, based on the needs of their communities.