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Major L. Clark III, Fernando Porter, MD Dr. Denise Brown Allen, Rev. Dr. Barbara WallaceLORD & Wallace Counseling, 2022 Member Cohort

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The Washington (DC) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our 75th Anniversary sponsors.

The Washington, DC Chapter of The Links, Incorporated is the third chapter established in the chain of Links’ chapters, now totaling 299 chapters in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and the United Kingdom.

The Links, Incorporated was founded on November 9, 1946, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has been incorporated since March 29, 1951. The Washington, DC Chapter of The Links, Incorporated was organized by Bernice Thomas and Ruth Young, and was chartered on April 17, 1948, by eight members of the Philadelphia Chapter. A beautiful candlelight ceremony was held at the home of Bernice Thomas, the first Chapter president. Other charter members include Vashti Cook, Katie Harris, Kaye Johnson, Anne Cooke Reid and Eula Trigg. Once established, the Washington, DC Chapter immediately demonstrated its devotion to the Washington, DC community During Christmas of 1948, the Chapter gave the children at the Industrial Home School Annex a Stromberg-Carlson victrola, Christmas records, a gift certificate for additional records and a cash contribution for fruit, candy, nuts and other goodies This commitment to young people was continuously displayed through other community programs, including the Chapter’s presentation of two professional Broadway artists to the students at Armstrong High School in 1951

The Washington, DC Chapter, throughout our seventy-five-year history, has had many award-winning programs in the focus areas emphasized by the National organization – The Arts, Health and Human Services, International Trends and Services, National Trends and Services and Services to Youth The Chapter’s Family Caregiver Program has served as a model for other chapters The Chapter’s long-standing programs have included Links to Healthy Smiles;, Are You Ready? (a program to prepare African American women 50 years and older to address critical issues in their lives); a partnership with N Street Village; the Links International Foreign Affairs and Business Empowerment for Youth (LIFE) Program at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School (introduces high school students to international careers) and a Christmas luncheon for seniors in partnership with the Howard Dental School that has continued for over 40 years. Two of these programs, Links to Healthy Smiles and Are You Ready?, were recognized by The Links, Incorporated and elevated to National initiatives, and he LIFE Program is a National Signature Program. In recent years, the chapter has established an after-school mentorship program at Howard University Middle School for Math and Science, presenting entrepreneurship and STEM training to young ladies at the School; a partnership with Operation Pathways to conduct health fairs at residential facilities housing low-tomiddle income DC residents; and a Get-Out-the-Vote initiative in collaboration with Reclaim Our Vote during the 2020 presidential and 2022 mid-term elections, targeted at minority voters in states, primarily Southern, where voter suppression initiatives have been enacted

The Washington (DC) Chapter is especially proud of its Thomas-Young Scholarship Fund, which has provided college scholarships for more than forty years The Scholarship Fund was established in 1982 and named in honor of the organizers of the Washington, DC Chapter, Bernice Thomas and Ruth Young The Scholarship Fund provides college funds and other resources to graduates of Washington, DC public high schools The Chapter’s most recent cohort of five scholars was selected in Spring of 2022 and will each receive $10,000 throughout their four-year college matriculation These students are attending the following schools and majoring in the indicated subjects: George Mason University (Engineering); Delaware State University (Pre-Nursing); The Catholic University of America (Business Administration); North Carolina Central University (Business Administration); and North Carolina A&T (Undeclared) The Thomas-Young Scholarship, since its inception, has had a sustained and profound impact on students in the Washington, DC area

The Washington, DC Chapter is rich with tradition and has a history of helping the people of the Washington, DC community Throughout seventy five years of the Chapter’s history its members have been actively involved in

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