The Links, Incorporated Knoxville, Celebrate 50 years of community service
The Knoxville, Tennessee Chapter of The Links, Incorporated Celebrated its Golden Anniversary
KNOXVILLE, TN (Dec. 2020) – The Links, Incorporated-Knoxville, Tenn. Chapter celebrated 50 years of service to the local community. The “Golden Anniversary: 50 Years Past – 50 Years Forward” was a virtual program on Saturday, November 14, 2020, to celebrate their years of friendships and service to the Knoxville community.
The Knoxville Chapter was chartered on November 14, 1970, with 17 African-American women of Knoxville. The first President of the Knoxville Chapter of The Links, Incorporated was Lois Clark, along with charter members Henrietta Grant, Nelda Searcy, Edna Hardy, Erma Ross, Alma Moore, Evelyn Williams, Coressa Clark, Frances Clark, Esther Davidson, Josie Edmunds, Marion Hardin, Mary Ellen Jones, Aravella Kirk, Billye Olinger, Gertrude Porter, and Gladys Scandrick.
The celebration honored the remaining living charter members, Erma Ross of Knoxville, and Alma Moore who resides in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Also recognized were the “Heirs-O-Links,” which is an exclusive membership of the offspring of the 17 chartered members of the Knoxville Links, Inc. chapter. They were: Pamela Davidson Chesney, Evelyne M. Davidson MD, Patricia Ross Jennings, Joseph Hardin, Tracy Kirk Hardin, Yvonne Moore Artis, Tisa Jones Smith, and Kathi Grant Willis.
Dr. Robert Kirk, the spouse of deceased charter member Aravella Kirk, was recognized as a “Connecting Link.”
The Knoxville Chapter of The Links, Incorporated currently has 26 members who have continued the legacy of service, friendships and alliances forged five decades ago by the 17 charter members.
Jan E. Brown is the current President of the Knoxville Chapter of The Links, Incorporated whose members are Twuanna Munroe Ward, Sandra Cannon, Beverly Sligh, Yvonne Dias-Bowie, Yolanda Childs, Ursula Bailey, Brenda Anderson, Rhonda Arrington, Jacqueline Bridgeman, Evelyne Davidson, Gloria Deathridge, Brittany Gardner, Donna Harper, Leslye Hartsell, Annazette Houston, Jan Houston Hickman, Staci Jackson, Nickola Jefferson, Tanisha Jenkins, Leonia Johnson, Wanda Jones, Sylvia Peters, Avice Evans Reid, Jonida Robinson, and Cecilia Whittington.
The ongoing projects of the local chapter benefit through funding, needed supplies, resources, and precious time members share mentoring youth groups and students, which includes:
- Services To Youth Events: Junior Achievement Training Programs, Professional Career Forum with Middle School Students, Distributed books to students at an Elementary School Carnival.
- Health and Human Services Events: Race for the Cure, Howard Circle of Friends, Health Fairs.
- The Arts Events: Beauford Delaney Project, Middle School Art Projects, Elementary School Art Supplies.
- National Trends and Services Events: Habitat for Humanity, Second Harvest, Links on the Hill, and Sister to Sister Conference with the National Coalition of 100 Black Women of Knoxville, and supporting HBCUs; Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
- International Trends and Services Events: Bridge Refugee Services, and Jamaica Campaign.
For more information on the Knoxville chapter of The Links, Incorporated; visit the website here.
ABOUT: Established in 1946, The Links, Incorporated is one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of extraordinary women committed to enriching, sustaining, and ensuring the cultural and economic survival of African-Americans and persons of African ancestry. Links members contribute more than one million documented hours of community service annually – strengthening their communities and enhancing the nation. It is a not-for-profit, international, organization. The membership consists of more than 16,000 distinguished, professional women of African descent in 296 chapters located in 41 states, the District of Colombia, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and the United Kingdom.
