Members of the Civitan International Hope Chapter who sponsored today's Business After Hours. President Mona Still stands at first row far right. Photo by Christy Burns.

The Civitan International Club's Hope chapter has sponsored today's Business After Hours event in the Hope-Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce Offices.

Among the goodies at the ready were bacon-wrapped crackers, cookies, a cheese and cracker plate, pepperonis, pretzels, smokies in a crockpot and many others.

Mona Still, current president of the Hope chapter explained the club's special focus. "It's working with people with physical and mental disabilities of all types. We support a research center in Birmingham on the campus of the University of Alabama-Birmingham. All Civitan clubs raise money that goes to the center. It's fully funded by Civitan. They're doing stuff with Alzheimer's and Tourette [Syndrome]. They have so many diseases that they work with."

April is Civitan Awareness month. But the Civitan Club Hope Chapter, which Still acknowledges to be small in size, is busy throughout the year. Last month, it sponsored a St. Patrick's Dance at Rainbow of Challenges. In May a scholarship will be awarded a Hope senior. In both May and June the club will be at the service of area nursing homes. It sponsors the Watermelon Festival car show in August and present distributions to children of families associated with Domestic Violence Prevention.

Recently, Civitan helped buy the supplies needed to make a local man's front porch wheel-chair accessible. Banner of Hope provided the labor and expertise to build it.