Owensboro’s charter of Civitan International has a mission to serve the community, with an emphasis on helping those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They have celebrated several people and events for nearly 20 years, and recently awarded a lifetime membership to Connie Hood, who has been a member since the beginning.
Hood’s late husband Robert was one of the Owensboro Civitan’s founding members, according to Charter President Linda Hagan. Hood has served as a member of the board and as president, and has been a “faithful” bingo volunteer.
“Her husband once told me, ‘Let it be Connie’s choice to leave bingo. She loves working bingo,'” Hagan said. “When Connie informed me that in February, when she turns 85 years young, she will be retiring from working bingo, we knew that we needed to do something to say thank you.”
Hagan said that the weekly bingo events are profitable, but they are also work for the volunteers who help with the games played each Saturday night at the “Big Blue” bingo hall on New Hartford Road.
Since Owensboro Civitan began, it has donated over $1 million to various organizations, individuals, scholarships, and bingo players through raffles and giveaways.
Hagan said she worries about the future of Owensboro’s charter, as most of its members are 50-70 years old. Plus, after the pandemic, Junior Civitan stopped in local high schools.
Hagan is hoping more people get involved to keep the chapter alive.
“It’s an awesome organization; we do a lot of good to help a lot of people,” she said. “All the money we raise stays in our surrounding communities. Our members are dedicated and hard-working. We want Civitan to go on, but without help, I’m afraid we will fall by the way.”
