The name Civitan is taken from the Latin word Civitas which means citizenship.  Civitan's motto is Builders of Good Citizenship.

Sunrise Civian membership is dedicated to service.  Members are local people seeking to be informed about the needs of the community through learning, leading and helping.

The Sunrise Civitan Club was founded in Spartanburg, June 11, 1965.  The Reverend Everette Lineberger was the first president of the Sunrise Civitan Club and continues to be one of its strongest members.

Sunrise Civitan Club recognizes the importance of its volunteers and the contributions of its membership.  It provides programs and speakers from local business, government, media and religious organizations to better understand the needs of our community and provide the services and support where and when it is most needed.

Civitan projects are both local, national and international.  The Candy Box Project is Civitan's most recognized fund-raiser.  Serviced solely by Civitan volunteers, 100 percent of the net proceeds go to benefit individuals with mental retardation and basic developmental disabilities (MR/DD) and the Civitan International Research Center in Birmingham, Alabama, for MR/DD.