DEMOPOLIS &8212; The Civitan International President, Michael Brown, will visit Demopolis on Thursday as the special guest of the Demopolis Civitan Club.

The visit from Brown orchestrated by Saliba and Lisa Abercrombie of the Auburn Civitan chapter. Abercrombie helped establish the Civitan club in Demopolis, when she served as the central Alabama Civitan Governor.

The meeting is set for noon at Napoleon&8217;s in Demopolis.

During Brown&8217;s visit he will not only speak to the club and the community, but he will also initiate new club members.

Brown, of Birmingham, is a member of the Birmingham Civitan Club, the first Civitan club, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. Civitan has expanded across the world, and now includes over 1,300 clubs in 24 countries, with approximately 40,000 members. Brown began his term Oct. 1, 2007. He will serve as Chairman of the Civitan International Board of Directors and represent Civitan around the world.

Brown has recently retired after more than 15 years as administrator of University of Alabama at Birmingham&8217;s Civitan International Research Center. He is currently a consultant in corporate and foundation relations, and holds Bachelors of Arts and Masters of Arts degrees in philosophy and an executive masters in business administration. Brown also brings nearly 35 years of Civitan experience to the office of president. He was a president of two clubs in Albuquerque, N. M., and Birmingham. He has served as a governor of the Great Southwest District, international board member, and has received Civitan&8217;s highest honor, the International Honor Key.

As a master club builder, Brown has traveled to every Civitan district in North America and Europe. He organized the first Civitan club in Romania.

Local Civitan clubs meet a wide variety of needs in their communities, with an emphasis on helping people with developmental disabilities. The Civitan International Foundation continues this mission with a $20 million commitment to its flagship project, the Civitan International Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. This state of the art center brings together top scientific minds, and the latest technology to create innovative therapies and treatments for people with developmental disabilities. The center provides services for a national clientele of individuals with special needs, while researchers and therapists from around the world come to learn and train in the newest breakthroughs. Civitan is an international association of local community service clubs and one of the world&8217;s leading volunteer service organizations.

For more information, visit us on the web at www.civitan.org, or call us at 1-800-CIVITAN.