Tanneshenetta Johnson.
The Roanoke (VA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated proudly welcomed four accomplished women into the organization during a beautiful induction ceremony on June 8 at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. An estimated 40 active and alumna Links members attended the ceremony, which was followed by a dinner attended by members and more than 30 family members and friends.
The 2024-25 Roanoke (VA) Chapter inductees are: Tanneshenetta Johnson, of Concord, VA; Sonya Roman, Carla Shepherd, and Tameka Welch, all of Roanoke.
The four women created and executed an outstanding service project, “Connected to Care,’ to educate students at Hurt Park Elementary School about the importance of good oral health. The four launched a successful dental hygiene product drive to collect donations of toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss and mouthwash for 340 Hurt Park students.
The drive was an excellent complement to the educational sessions the chapter has conducted during school years as part of the chapter’s “Linked to Success: Growing Up G.R.E.A.T.” program at Hurt Park Elementary, now entering its eighth year. One program component teaches students about the anatomy of the mouth and teeth, and provides them with life-sized models of teeth to aid their understanding of good dental care.
Nationally, The Links, Inc. aims to increase awareness of ongoing disparities and inequities in oral health among adults and children through the organization’s National Oral Health Initiative. Chapters are encouraged to develop health, educational, civic, and intercultural initiatives and activities that enrich the lives of members of the Black community at large.
The Links, Inc. is an international, not-for-profit corporation, established in 1946. The membership consists of more than 17,000 professional women of African descent in 299 chapters located in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and the United Kingdom. It is one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of extraordinary women who are committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry.
President of the Roanoke Chapter is Rhonda Poindexter. Vice President is Carolyn Patterson.
