About the Civiettes
Civiettes began in 1938 as a social club and has evolved into a vital civic club with dedicated fundraising efforts. In December of 1950, under the direction of Miss Lib May, Civiettes began volunteer work for Spastic Aid of Alabama. In 1951, the same year that the Cerebral Palsy Center opened in downtown Birmingham, Civiettes designated Spastic Aid as their only working project. In 1952 The Follies was produced for the first time and generated almost $10,000 for Spastic Aid. In 1962 the fundraiser changed form and became known as The Mall Ball.
The Civiettes Club is recognized in Birmingham as one of the leading women's organizations because of our consistent growth and support to the community. We have been honored to receive both the Lotus Club Award and the Club of the Year Award. In 1986, we received the Volunteer Group Award from the Alabama Developmental Disabilities Planning Council and also the Governor's Volunteer Award. In 1990-91, we received The National Award for Commitment to Excellence.
In the past the Mall Balls became larger and consistently raised over $100,000 for UCP in just one night. Eastwood Mall, Brookwood Mall, and HealthSouth Center were all home to the balls. The 2007 black-tie fundraiser "Partners For Hope" was held at the Historic Rucker Place and in 2006 "Partners for Hope" was hosted at the beautiful home of Lanny S. Vines.
We are very excited to bring two new events in 2009. This May the Civiettes will put on their inaugural 10K run "Race Without Limits," with "Runway To The Race" kicking off the event in April.
We are proud of our accomplishments and the services we have been able to provide United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham.