Local clergy to be honored Thursday at Idaho Falls Civitans event - East Idaho News
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Local clergy to be honored Thursday at Idaho Falls Civitans event

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IDAHO FALLS — Local clergy of all faiths are invited to attend a special event celebrating their service to the community. The Idaho Falls Civitan Club recognizes clergy every year with a special luncheon as part of Clergy Appreciation Week.

The lunch and program will take place Feb. 22 at noon at Pinecrest Event Center located at 560 E. Anderson in Idaho Falls. RSVP is required by contacting club member Dorothy Smart at SMART536@MSN.COM or (208) 317-3746.

During the program, Mike Glaser, senior pastor at Cornerstone Pentecostal Church in Idaho Falls, will be speaking about his experiences as a pastor. Every year typically about 12 to 15 local clergy attend the event, according to Smart.

“We love doing this for such a wonderful cause,” Smart said.

Clergy Appreciation Week recognizes the heroism of four U.S. army chaplains during World War II who were aboard the USS Dorchester on February 3, 1943. When the ship was torpedoed in the North Atlantic, these men of different faiths worked together to evacuate the soldiers, ultimately giving their lives by offering up their own life jackets.

“This story just gets to you. It was the most Christ-like thing you could do,” Smart said, adding that clergy of today also spend their lives doing everything they can for their communities.

Civitan International is an organization of community service clubs with roughly 40,000 members across four continents. Each local club works to help others and fulfill needs in their community, with a special emphasis on helping people with developmental disabilities.

Hearts and Hands Special Needs Civitan Club is a new Civitan club in Idaho Falls specifically designed for special needs members. The Idaho Falls Civitan in partnership with the Bannock Civitan Club helped charter this club to have our community members with special needs get involved community service.

Every year the Idaho Falls Civitan Club has several fundraisers so they can do projects to better the community. Those fundraisers include Alive After Five, Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen, Indoor Pub Golf Tournament, Decorating Civitan Plaza for Christmas, and more.

A new community project they’re kicking off this year is Partnering for Play! The club is teaming up with the city of Idaho Falls to renovated one playground per year. This year they’ll be renovating Freeman Park.

To learn more about the Civitans, contact the club or attend their weekly lunch on Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. at Pinecrest Event Center.

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