The Roanoke Chapter of The Links, Inc. beautifully celebrated its 65th anniversary on March 5 at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center.
Themed “Emeralds & Ice,” the black-tie gala featured dinner, a silent auction, mock casino games and dancing to the music of the lively “Affirmative Groove” band, of Richmond. Attendees included national officers of The Links, Inc. National Vice President Kimberly Jeffries Leonard, National Recording Secretary Clara Lee and 14th Eastern Area Director Bishetta Merritt.
The Roanoke Chapter, one of 76 chapters in the Eastern Area of The Links, Inc., was founded in 1950. In 2011, the Roanoke Chapter was awarded a grant through the “HeartLinks: Flag Heart Disease” Grant Program to provide heart health screenings and information to African- American women in our communities. Links funding awarded to the chapter in 2015 has enabled the continuation of heart health programming, currently to African-American women from the Roanoke and the New River valleys. The chapter also works diligently with students at Roanoke’s CAFE (Cultural Arts For Excellence) program, conducting fine arts and language arts education, healthy eating and anti-bullying workshops.
With Saturday’s event, the Roanoke Chapter returned to the site of the Eastern Area Conference it hosted in 2009, attended by nearly 1,000 members of The Links, Incorporated. The conference was hailed as one that “raised the bar,” Dr. Bishetta Merritt shared in her remarks at Saturday’s gala.
The Links, Inc. is an international, not-for-profit corporation, established in 1946. The membership consists of nearly 14,000 professional women of color in 282 chapters located in 41 states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.
The 65th anniversary gala was co-chaired by Mary Calloway, who serves as parliamentarian of the Roanoke Chapter, and Patricia Joiner, chapter vice president/membership chair. Chapter president is Connie B. Steele.
