After 20 years, the Club has become the leading civic organization in Silicon Valley, with 5, 500 members.

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"Any civic-minded organization, business, individual, family, city, county, state, or federal agency is welcome to volunteer in the Georgia Adopt-A-Highway program, " the DOT website says.

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Fees and dues to professional societies: You might have paid these fees to maintain your membership for professional purposes, such as maintaining a professional certification, maintaining your membership in a civic or public service organization or your membership in a business league.

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Patrick Ortega is the founder and president of the Civic Family Institute in Los Angeles, a public policy organization dedicated to educating Hispanics on the American political system and current civic affairs.

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That is the premise of Code for America, a budding national organization of software programmers who use public information from local governments to create better civic services.

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An organization embraced within this section is one which is operated primarily for the purpose of bringing about civic betterments and social improvements.

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