Western Reserve (OH) Chapter Links, Incorporated, 30th Anniversary Program 2017

Continuing the Walk: ALink to the Future

Celebrating 30 years of service to the Greater Cleveland Community

The Links, Incorporated is an international, not-for-profit corporation, established in 1946. The membership consists of nearly 14,000 professional women of color in 283 chapters located in 41 states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. 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. Contents Western Reserve Officers ...........................................................2 Members .......................................................................................3 Letter from the National President ...........................................4 Letter from Western Reserve Chapter President.....................5 Western Reserve Chapter History.............................................6 Charter Members ........................................................................7 Western Reserve 30 Years of Programs ....................................8 Margot James Copeland ...........................................................15 Congresswoman Joyce Beatty ..................................................17 Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge...........................................18 Growing Leaders .......................................................................19 30th Anniversary Committee Chairs and Members ............20

Officers Lynnette Jackson, President

Deborah Perkins, Vice President Terri Hamilton Brown, Treasurer Teresa Metcalf Beasley, Financial Secretary Leslie Parchment Lindsay, Recording & Corresponding Secretary Barrett Teamor, Historian and Archivist Andrean Horton, Parliamentarian Cassandra Johnson, Member-at-Large Debra Green, Chaplain Renée Holcomb Hardwick, Immediate Past President

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Western Reserve (OH) Chapter of The Links, IncorporatedMembers

AlumnaMembers Daisy L. Alford-Smith Emma Benning Ruthie Brown Doris Bullock Sharon V .Clayton Christina Dates Carter Juanita Dalton-Robinson

Sherrée Anderson Linda Bradley-Adams Teresa Metcalf Beasley Caprice Bragg Terri Hamilton Brown Nailah K. Byrd Dana Capers Lisa Farmer Cole Tera Coleman Kelly Bullock Daugherty Elaine Davis Lynnette Forde Alison Graves Calhoun Debra A. Green Renée Holcomb Hardwick Eleanor M. Hayes Kimberlyn Cunningham Hood Tamara Horne Andrean R. Horton Tanya Howard Grace Myah Moore Irick Lynnette Jackson Cassandra Johnson Leslie Parchment Lindsay Sharon Mackel

Janette McCarthy Jacqueline McLemore

Sabrina Mickel Sharon Milligan Janet Morgan Glenda W. Moss Camille Nixon Deborah Perkins Faye Prout Roberta A. Settles-Cheatham Brittany Shatteen-Merritt Linda M. Shatteen Andrea Sims Jessica Price Smith Robyn Minter Smyers Monica Y. Sturgis Barrett Teamor Brenda Y. Terrell Belva Denmark Tibbs Stephanie Turner

Lavenia E. Ferguson Ranelle A. Gamble Awilda Hamilton Bert Laurelle Holt Sylvia Jones Carol Malone Ruth Richey Katie M. Robinson Carmel Whiting Stella Whitley

Tracey Weaver Valerie Weaver Barbara A. Williams Victoria Winbush

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History In 1985 a select group of women were invited to form an interest group to The Links, Incorporated. These women shared interests and enthusiasm for community service a commitment that the national organization embodies. For two years, this group, The Western Reserve Women’s League, set out to demonstrate, in an organized fashion, how with teamwork and determination, a small group could “make a difference” in their community. Through a program called “Color Me Learning”, a targeted group of teen mothers and their families participated in parenting classes, self-esteem workshops, inspirational seminars and experienced the shared respect and contagious enthusiasm of friendship. After the success of this program, the newly chartered Western Reserve (OH) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated continued its momentum and launched the chapter’s four facets into continuing programs that foster its ideals. Through fundraising activities, a contribution of ten thousand dollars was donated to Karamu House to aid African-American theatre and Early Childhood Education Center. Thousands of volunteer hours from Western Reserve (OH) Chapter members have been devoted to mentoring children, rap sessions with teens, workshops and clinics on health and surviving breast and cervical cancer. An international collaboration with San Salvador of the Bahamas was established to provide books and afro centric materials to school children. Links-On-Line, an internet site, the first of its kind within the organization, is now available on the web. Additionally, the enormous success of the Annual National Walk-A-Thon for Health and Hunger and collaboration with Margaret Ireland Cancer Center Survivor’s Tea are just a few of the many projects that have flourished over the years The fulfillment of our mission; which is to promote and engage in educational, civic and intercultural activities To enrich the lives of our members and the larger community by working to develop interests in common goals of achievement has included fund raising galas, benefits, and community service projects.

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Past Presidents Glori Pace King 1987-1989 Awilda Hamilton 1989-1991 Ranelle Gamble 1991-1993 Jacqueline McLemore 1993-1995 Carol Malone 1995-1997 Barbara Jones 1997-1999 Brenda Y. Terrell 1999-2001 Deborah Plummer 2005-2007 Stephanie Turner 2007-2009 Awilda Hamilton 2009-2011 Renee Holcomb Hardwick 2011-2015 Lynnette Jackson 2015-2017 Bert L. Holt 2001-2003 Glenda Moss 2003-2005

CharterMembers Sandr Austin Bonnie Banks Gwendolyn Barnett Emma Benning Gwendolyn Cartledge Audrey Dillard Juanita Dalton-Robinson

Elaine Davis Sheri Edison

Ranelle Gamble Awilda Hamilton Bert Holt

Joan Johnson Barbara Jones Gloria Pace King Carol Malone Jacqueline McLemore Sharon Milligan Glenda Moss Ellen Pinderhughes Ruth Richey Roberta Settles-Cheatham Barrett Teamor

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Years ofPrograms The Western Reserve (OH) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated is an organization of accomplished, dedicated women whose purpose is to make a meaningful difference in the communities we serve. The Links members are newsmakers, role models, mentors, activists and volunteers who are linked in friendship and connected in service. Five Facets comprise our programmatic focus. A synopsis of our programs, which represent decades of outreach to the Greater Cleveland community, is highlighted below. To learn more about these programs, please visit our website at westernreservelinks.org/programs. THE ARTS FACET goal is to increase and expand art activity, and elevate our programs through arts integration and effectively create an arts renaissance within our organization and programmatic efforts. Throughout the nation today, Links Chapters partner with museums, symphonies, arts councils, educational institutes and corporations in order to support art programs, especially where there is a focus on artists of color. Links are creating and supporting opportunities for educating minority youth in the arts and presenting and supporting performances by youth and accomplished professional artists in a diversity of disciplines. 1. Roots of American Music, a project consisting 3. Paper Doll Project, engaged children grades kindergarten to eighth grade in an authentic,

of four theme-based sessions - the Kickoff of Living Rhythms; an African Roots of Rhythm workshop; an Afro-Brazilian Music workshop; and, an Exploration of African and Brazilian Polyrhythms of Hip Hop session. The proj- ect included a four-month musical residency program focused on the African roots of music and was targeted at children at the Sutphen School of Music, the George Washington Carver Elementary School, and the YWCA of Cleveland. 2. “Friends of Sutphen Music School”, a four- year collaboration with the Phyllis Wheatley Sutphen School of Music. Western Reserve (OH) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated donated much-needed musical instruments, office furniture, supplies, and equipment. The Chapter also sponsored a $1,000 life member- ship to Phyllis Wheatley; supported numer- ous musical arts programs; and established a partnership between Sutphen and the George Washington Carver Elementary School to provide selected students an opportunity to participate in an intense culturally enriched program of vocal instruction, dance, poetry, violin and wind lessons.

interactive, hands-on Native American Doll Exhibit and educational presentation of over 50 dolls in tribal dress representing Alaska, Canada, the United States, Central and South America. The project enabled the 450 chil- dren who participated to understand the role of Native Americans in Ohio history. The children also took part in a three-week Pa- per Doll Art Project where they colored and embellished over 500 dolls for children being treated in emergency rooms at Metro Health, University Hospitals, and the Cleveland Clinic. The Paper Doll project was a collaboration with the George Washington Carver Elementary School. 4. A Gala Arts Debut, a Black-Tie fundraiser to introduce classically trained artists to the community, presented in collaboration with Accord Associates. 5. Karamu House Project, a major fundrais- ing and audience development effort which allowed the Western Reserve (OH) Chapter to present Karamu with a check for $10,000 and over $1,200 in books, toys, and games for the day care center.

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6. Camille A. Brown’s BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play embodies all of the movement languages that have been rooted in the African American culture. Through a partnership with DANCE- Cleveland, Western Reserve (OH) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated assisted in funding and providing young dancers from the Cleve- land School of the Arts and the Inner City Ballet an opportunity to participate in a master class lesson with professional male and female dancers from CAB. We helped to shape the choreography of the dance through partici- pating in the research with Camille A. Brown, a prolific and award-winning choreographer.

The impact lead to a new body of work about the lives of Black girls -- BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play. On November 14, 2015, we supported the Cleveland production of this dance at the Hanna Theatre where we generated 20% of the audience (100 people). We invited girls (and a few boys); each youth was accompanied by a parent or an adult mentor. This audience pair was able to see the dance, participate in a talk-back session im- mediately following the production, and share in an on-going dialogue about the messages in the dance production.

INTERNATIONAL TRENDS AND SERVICES FACET expands the global platform for programs designed and developed to service the educational, health and cultural needs of people of African descent throughout the world. All programmatic components of the facet are delivered through measurable and sustainable service delivery methods that reach women and their families. The foremost goal of the International Trends and Services facet is to provide opportunities for tangible service in other countries. Our “boots on the ground” approach provides for more personalized methods for assisting and improving the lives of men, women, and children worldwide through long-term programs committed to empowerment and public policy leadership in advocating for social justice.

7. The Lost Boys of Sudan Project, a drive to support the thirty-eight young men, orphaned by a fourteen-year civil war in the Sudan, who were brought to Cleveland by the Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services to rebuild their lives. Western Reserve Link members, with the assistance of Catholic Charities and Sudanese representatives, completed a needs assessment to collect critically-needed items to supply “Arrival Survival Kits”. 8. Western Reserve Links supported the Books for Africa Library Project, an on-going effort to establish libraries in rural areas of Ghana. We worked directly with the Chief Execu- tive Officer and organizations founder, Hilda Bromley to deliver over 800 books to Ghana for this project. 9. St. Jude School, Kampala, Uganda, a partner- ship with St. Jude School in Kampala, Uganda; the Community Support for Capacity Develop- ment (CSCD); Dr. Margaret Musoke Bukenya; and Empowering Parent/Guardians for Quality Childcare to provide hygiene and educational

kits to approximately 400 young boys and girls, grades 1 through 7 who attend the only public school in Kampala. Each child received a kit in a tote with the joint logos of The Links, Incorporated, Western Reserve (OH) Chapter, St. Jude’s Primary School and Warner Girls’ Leadership Academy. The partnership also included a “pen pal” program between 60 of the girl students at St. Jude’s and the fourth and fifth grade students from Warner Girls’ Leadership Academy. 10. The Western Reserve [OH] Chapter has committed to a five-year transformational program to support St. Mary’s Preparatory and Kindergarten School (St. Mary’s Prep), which is in Montpelier, St. James Parish, Jamaica. In October 2016, six members of the chapter went to the school to implement a modified-version of the Read, Write and Illustrate! Program, which is a language arts skills development program, to help sixth- grade students prepare for the Grade Six Admissions Test (GSAT). The chapter has committed over $30,000 to support this international program.

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NATIONAL TRENDS AND SERVICES FACET has a vision to eliminate disparities by reducing barriers to services through advocacy, education, and service. The programs serve as a catalyst for change promoting individual and community empowerment. 11. Literature to Life © , a collaboration with the

12. Voter Registration, a voter registration drive at area colleges and universities which delivered an increase of registered voters to the electoral process. 13. “ Conversations with…” a speaker’s series addressing cultural, educational, health and social issues. Past speakers include Dr. Adrienne Lash Jones, Associate Professor of African American Studies; Fatoumata Batta Burkinso Faso, West Africa; Dr. Jacqueline Jordan Irvine, Emory University; Dr. Ronald Ferguson, Harvard University; Dr. Linda Bradley, Cleveland Clinic; Dr. Deborah Plummer Bussey, DL Plummer and Associates; Dr. Margaret Musoke Bukenya, Mother Support Initiative, Kampala, Uganda, East Africa; and Audrey Staton, Head of School, Warner Girls Leadership Academy, Cleveland, OH.

New York American Place Theatre to bring their Literature to Life adaptation to Cleveland Metropolitan School educators, parents and students. The Western Reserve (OH) Chapter’s collaborations included Toni Morrison’s bestseller, The Bluest Eye, featuring Tanya Little of Los Angeles; Claude Brown’s Manchild in the Promised Land, featuring Jo- seph Edward; and Richard Wright’s, Black Boy featuring Wynn Handman. During the three years of this collaboration, these week-long residency programs were presented to over 12,137 community members, administrators, teachers and students in the Cleveland Metro- politan School District, East Cleveland School District, Regina High School, Lake Ridge Academy, and the Warrensville Heights School District.

SERVICES TO YOUTH FACET is an integrated approach to preparing young people to succeed in the 21st century workforce. The primary goals of this facet are to promote early literacy; implement local mentoring programs from kindergarten through college; close the academic achievement gaps from kindergarten through college; introduce and support Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and career readiness; implement college readiness programs; increase high school and college graduation rates; award college scholarships and build educational endowments; and, to promote and support HBCUs. 14. Triumph House Project was a program that 16. Project LEAD: High Expectations was a national Links program the Western Reserve

provided executive coaching and strategic planning sessions with the agency’s Executive Director and staff; and partnered with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to contribute more than 150 toys and educational games enabling mothers to have gifts to give their children for the holidays. Triumph House is a center for homeless women and children at Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority. 15. Color Me Learning was an innovative literacy pilot program of oral readings, storytelling, games, video and audio tapes, book parties, and book fairs, targeted at teen mothers and their children from the YWCA’s Project Redirection Program.

(OH) Chapter delivered locally to promote values clarification and positive self-esteem among Cleveland City middle-school children. 17. Women’s Shelter Project, a $14,000 refurbish- ing project at the Cleveland Center for Domes- tic Violence and support of the Jones Home, a shelter for battered women and families. 18. Making Health a Habit Grant Project, a multifaceted health and wellness grant project administered in East Cleveland, funded by The Cleveland Foundation from Forest City Hospital Funds.

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19. Hathaway Brown Aspire Program. Western Reserve (OH) Chapter partnered with Hathaway Brown School to provide support and mentoring to adolescent girls with limited opportunities. The Aspire Program is a tuition-free academic and leader- ship program that connects Hathaway Brown School with under-resourced public schools around Cleveland. The program targets high achieving girls limited in opportunity because of low family income and lack of exposure to higher education. 20. Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Youth Football Team. The Western Reserve (OH) Chapter partnered with Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority to provide monetary support for the Youth Football Team Awards Banquet. Additionally, the Chapter provided each participant with the book “By My Brother’s Side” written by National Football League players, Tiki and Ronde Barber. 21. Confronting the Achievement Gap Forum. The Western Reserve (OH) and The Cleveland Chapters of The Links, Incorporated partnered with The Kettering Foundation to present a public forum focused on Confronting the Achievement Gap. This Education Linkages Signature Project brought together over 125 educators, parents, students and community stakeholders to collectively raise the level of discussion on this critical issue in our community. Sponsors included Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, Alcoa Cleveland Works, Pearson Curriculum Group, Cuyahoga Community College, and the Washington Koen Media. 22. Achieving the Dream, Incorporated (ATD) is a multi-year national initiative between ATD and The Links, Incorporated designed to ensure the success of students who attend community colleges. ATD is particularly con- cerned with student groups that traditionally have faced significant barriers to success, i.e., students of color and those from low-income families. The Western Reserve (OH) and Cleveland Chapters of The Links, Incorporated partnered with Cuyahoga Community College

and implemented a year-long mentoring program for first generation students to help them acclimate to college life. 23. Cleveland Alumnae Chapter of Spelman College Scholarship Luncheon. The chapter donated $1,000 so that ten students plus their parents could participate in the event, which was held May 3, 2014. The students (and their parents) could see other young women like themselves going to college and becoming successful. 24. Heir-o-Link, Jillian Wilkerson’s Olivet Institutional Baptist Church Literacy Library. When Heir-O-Link Jillian Wilkerson was a Junior at Hawken School, she had an idea of how she could impact the achievement gap by giving African American youth access to books and encouraging them to experience the joy of reading. She sought donations of new or gently used books, on subjects such as religion and the experiences of African-Amer- icans, for youth through age 18. She also want- ed the classics in the collection, along with books that adults could read to children. The library would also be a resource for Olivet’s afterschool tutoring program. In March 2015, the Western Reserve (OH) Chapter donated $1,000 to support Jillian’s vision of a literacy library for youth by purchasing books; chapter members also donated books. She collected over 500 books and monetary contributions. 25. Delta Teacher Efficacy Campaign (DTEC) “A Call to Action.” On October 24, 2015, members of the Western Reserve (OH) Chapter joined the Greater Cleveland Alumnae Chapter of The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and other community leaders for a town hall meeting about enhancing the effectiveness and efficacy of OUR classroom teachers. The most important factor in a student’s success is the person standing in front of the classroom. Teachers Believing = Students Achieving. Lessons learned from this symposium will be shared with the Growing Leaders during a visioning session on Greatness.

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HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FACET was established in response to the chronic health disparities that persist in our communities and result in the decreased life expectancy of African-Americans. The mission of the Health and Human Services facet is to promote and facilitate programs that support the maintenance of good health and the elimination of chronic health disparities in communities of color through education, health advocacy, and optimal utilization of health resources. Community education about health risks is crucial and The Links, Incorporated can play a significant role in providing it.

26. Project Walking Fete: Make Health a Habit, an annual walk-a-thon for hunger which sim- ilarly took place in over 40 states, the District of Columbia; Nassau, Bahamas; and Frankfort, Germany. Proceeds benefited local charities. 27. Project Walking Fete: Make Health a Habit! Poster Art Contest was created in conjunc- tion with The Links, Incorporated’s National Walk-A-Thon to expand our health message to include healthy lifestyle choices. Western Reserve (OH) Chapter partnered with George Washington Carver Elementary School stu- dents for the poster contest and fun exercise lessons with Dr. Rita Beckford who showed the students easy exercises they could do at home based on her video, “At Home with Dr. B.” Our alumna members were the judges for the art contest. 28. Project Lifesaver, a successful pilot program to educate African American women about the importance of early screening and detection of breast and cervical cancer, done in partnership with the Cleveland Foundation; Minority Women with Breast Cancer Uniting; the Cleveland Health Department; Cuyahoga County Metropolitan Health Center, and University Hospitals of Cleveland. The chapter also spearheaded the Northeast Ohio survivor’s Tea in collaboration with The Cleveland Clinic. 29. Diabetes Awareness Sunday, funded with a gift fromThe Links Foundation, Incorporated, this collaboration between The Western Reserve (OH) and The Cleveland Chapters of The Links, Incorporated and the Lennon Diabetes Center at Huron Road Hospital (a Cleveland Clinic Hospital) provided liter- ature to several Cleveland area churches and other religious institutions on the risks and management of diabetes in the African American community.

30. Project H.E.A.L. (Health, Education & Active Learning) is a multi-level, education initiative that teaches girls of African descent to analyze, evaluate and make healthy lifestyle choices and empowers them with the knowledge, skills and opportunities to become active health advocates for policy changes in their schools, families and neighborhoods. The Western Reserve (OH) and the Cleveland Chapters of The Links, Incorporated partnered with the H.E.A.L. Academy and the B.E.T. Foundation, Inc. to bring the two day Fit, Flourishing & Fly Girls Empowerment Summit to over 400 girls and their parents in the Greater Cleveland area. The Summit exposed girls to educa- tional workshops on nutrition, body image/ self-esteem, peer pressure/violence prevention, community advocacy, leadership development and reproductive health. The summit also included a parent’s track that addressed the topics covered in the girls’ track. The focus was to increase communication between child and parent. 31. Linkages to Life: Organ, Tissue and Bone Marrow Donation Awareness Program, designed to educate the African-American community about the importance of and need for organ, tissue, and bone marrow donation. This initiative was conducted in partnership with the local faith-based community and civic organizations. 32. My Sister’s Keeper, a partnership with Seidman Cancer Center to develop a sister- hood between Western Reserve (OH) Chapter members and outward bound women who are undergoing treatment for a major illness. The objective of the partnership is to equip women with life skills to help them navigate through the health care system, utilize the resources available to them and to provide monetary and emotional support during this challenging

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informational workshops and partnering with a health coach. 33. Mound STEM School Urban Learning Garden. During the 2014-2015 academic year, Western Reserve (OH) Chapter established a sustainable signature urban learning garden as an after-school program at Mound STEM School (Mound) and provided garden-based educational programming to 15 enrolled students. Mound is a Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) K-8 school located in Cleveland’s Broadway/Slavic Village commu- nity. We forged a strong partnership with the Cleveland Botanical Garden (CBG) to develop the garden under its Cleveland School Garden Partnerships Initiative and lead curriculum delivery through Green Corps. Our garden consisted of above-ground beds growing a range of edible seasonal crops (e.g., carrots, radishes, mesclun, kale, spinach, lettuce) and some decorative flowers. The curriculum also contained lessons and activities, which con- nected with STEM principles and included a significant nutrition, health and wellness lifestyle component. Before and after several sessions, the students were tested to determine whether they had experienced an increase in knowledge and awareness of nutrition and healthy eating. In general, knowledge of fruits and vegetables increased by 50%. According to student feedback, they decreased their intake of junk food. More importantly, the garden at Mound STEM School is sustainable; Mound will maintain it with help from CBG’s Green Corps. 34. A new transformational program – Growing Leaders -- sprung from the seeds that were planted in the 2014-2015 Mound STEM School Urban Learning Garden program. Leveraging our strong partnership with the Cleveland Botanical Garden, Western Reserve (OH) Chapter committed to a two-year pilot with the Green Corps program for the Growing Leaders transformational program, which began October 2015. Each month, the two-hour session highlights “soft skills” to help the

participant matriculate from adolescence to adulthood. Also, each student received a Fitbit device to reinforce healthy lifestyle behaviors. The first cohort (2015-2016 academic year) included eight young women aged 15-18 – five of whom graduated from high school; the second cohort (2016-2017 academic year) includes three returning students plus five new students. Due to the generous support from our sponsors and members, we have invested $40,000 in this two-year program. UMBRELLA PROGRAMS Umbrella programming integrates program elements from all five facets, with one facet serving as the lead. The costs for both umbrella programs were funded entirely with contributions and dona- tions from our corporate and community sponsors. The Western Reserve (OH) Chapter created a multi-faceted music and cultural arts program called Bridging the Gap and Making a Differ- ence…through Music and Cultural Arts to benefit youth in the Greater Cleveland area. Services to Youth premiered the launch of the umbrella program with a concert, An Evening with the SPHINX Alumni String Quartet, the Greater Cleveland area premiere concert of nationally renowned award winning musicians from the prestigious Sphinx Competition for Black and Latino String Players, presented in collaboration with Olivet Institutional Baptist Church. National Trends and Services presented an intensive one week in-school literacy residency program to 5,000 high school students, called “Literature to Life © ,” a one-woman stage production of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. International Trends and Ser- vices introduced “Living Rhythms,” to elementary children ages 6-14, an interactive curriculum based music program that traced the journey of African rhythms to Cuba, Brazil and the United States. The Arts, the lead facet, sponsored the Sutphen School of Music Summer Music Experience, a five-week program targeting 75 children in underserved urban areas aged 8 to 14 to introduce them to the variety of forms in which music is expressed in the

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natural world and as a product of artistic creation. This multi-faceted program included collabora- tions with Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, The American Place Theatre of New York City, and Roots of American Music. We also partnered with The Sutphen School of Music, The Friends of the Sutphen School of Music, George Washington Carver Elementary School, the East Cleveland YWCA of Cleveland and The Cleveland Public School District. This program received a “Special Recognition” Award at The Links, Incorporated 2005 Central Area Conference. From 2008 through 2014, we partnered with the faculty and parents of the Warner Girls Leadership Academy, one of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s single gender schools. The partnership focused on leadership development and academic enrichment. During this six-year period, we budgeted over $60,000 to support this Umbrella program. Over that peri- od, we tutored young girls, assisting the school in improving its standing on the Ohio Achievement tests. We led forums engaging parents and grand- parents in dialogue about the unique challenges of raising girls in an urban environment. We estab- lished pen pal relationships between the Warner Wildflowers and students at St. Jude’s Academy in Uganda, as a means of connecting our Wild- flowers and the Ugandan students to the global village and enhancing their understanding of the world beyond their neighborhoods and villages. We created a Teacher’s Resource Library, making available books and resource tools that supported teachers in having state-of-the-art materials to support instruction. We commissioned renowned Cleveland artist Anna Arnold to create an iconic mural at the school’s entrance. This mural, greeting the girls each morning, shows a beautiful field of multi-colored flowers depicting the multi-talented and multi-faceted young girls of Warner. As the culmination of our partnership with Warner, in May, 2014, we donated $10,000 to purchase for the Wildflowers 60 Kindle PaperWhite eReaders -- each loaded with four books. The purpose of the Kindles was to introduce 4th and 5th graders to technology and enhance their reading experience. On November 21, 2014, the Warner Wildflowers, Head of School and Parents Organiza-

tion recognized the Western Reserve [OH] Chapter members at an Appreciation Breakfast. Follow- ing breakfast, there was a short program. Eight Warner Wildflowers shared their personal remarks and appreciation for the Kindles, the Links, and everything we have done at the school since its in- ception. One fifth grader remarked, “The Kindles have helped me be a better reader because if I don’t know a word, I can press on it and find out what it means.” A fourth grader added, “These Kindles help us want to read more and they make reading more exciting for us. Thank the Links for helping us grow.” In February, 2016, the Services to Youth Facet committed to donate $1000 to Warner Girls Leadership Academy to purchase more eBooks for the Kindles. HIV/AIDS Awareness. African Americans represent approximately 12% of the total US population, yet they account for 44% of all new HIV infections. Western Reserve (OH) Chapter is partnering with Recovery Resources and other local institutions to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS disease and HIV testing in the Greater Cleveland area. In July 2015, the CDC awarded a five-year, $4 million grant to the Cuyahoga County High Impact HIV Prevention (CCHIHP) to implement evidence-based interventions designed to impact HIV prevention by reducing high-risk behaviors among young (ages 13-29) African American males. The CCHIHP collaborative consists of Recovery Resources (the project lead’s agency and fiscal agent), Care Alliance Health Center and Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio. We have committed up to $75,000 over the next five years to support the CCHIHP’s HIV outreach and prevention efforts. In 2016, as part of our Growing Leaders program, the Chapter hosted two HIV/AIDS awareness symposiums featuring noted experts to facilitate intergenerational dialogue – an initial step in demystifying HIV/AIDS in the African American community.

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Margot James Copeland is Executive Vice President and Director of Philanthropy and Civic Engagement at KeyBank, one of the nation’s largest bank-based multiline financial services companies. In her role, Copeland also serves as Chair &

CEO of the KeyBank Foundation, guiding the company’s strategic philanthropic investments, in education, neighborhood prosperity, workforce development and community service. Under Copeland’s leadership, the KeyBank Foundation was named to The Civic 50 in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 as one of America’s fifty most community-minded companies, by the National Conference on Citizenship and Points of Light Foundation, and in 2014 ranked #1 in corporate giving in the financial services sector. Formerly Copeland served as Chief Diversity Officer at Key and under her leadership Key was consistently ranked as a Top 50 or Most Noteworthy Company for Diversity by DiversityInc. Recognizing that business and community prosperity go hand in hand, Copeland leads Key’s commitment to transforming and sustaining communities. She currently serves as trustee of Kent State University, (chairing the Academic Excellence and Student Success Committee), the Cleveland Clinic, Say Yes to Education NY, NY, the Thomas White Foundation and the Kenneth Scott Foundation. She participates in the Executive Mentorship Program at Morehouse College; and is a member of the Business School Advisory board at Hampton University. Copeland is the 15th National President of The Links, Incorporated, and also a member of the Executive Leadership Council. Copeland was a delegate to the White House Conference on America’s Future. In addition to her experience leading the Greater Cleveland Roundtable and Leadership Cleveland, Copeland’s public service is marked by her appointment to Vice Chairperson of the Cleveland Bicentennial Commission and subsequently the Cleveland Millennium Commission by former Cleveland Mayor Michael R. White, whose second term Inaugural Commit- tee she chaired. She also served on the Transition Committee for current Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson. Among her many distinguished awards and honors are: • American Banker Magazine, Community Impact Award

• Academy of Game Changers, Spelman College • Torchbearer Award, United Negro College Fund • Humanitarian Award, The Diversity Center • “One of the Most Powerful and Influential Women in Ohio”, Diversity First • Woman of Influence – Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio • “100 Most Powerful Women in Cleveland”, New Cleveland Woman magazine • “Cleveland Woman of Influence”, Crain’s Cleveland Business • YWCA Career Woman of Achievement Award

• Alumni of the Year, Hampton University, 2013 • Esteemed Alumni, The Ohio State University/ 100 Years of African American Achievement • 25 Influential Black Women in Business”, The Network Journal • “Top Influential Women in Corporate America”, Savoy magazine • “100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America”, Savoy magazine • “Top Executives in Diversity”, Black Enterprise magazine

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Coalition of 100 Black Women, Community Service Award • Business Person of the Year, National Black MBA, Cleveland Chapter • Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Community Service Award • Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Community Service Award

• Black Professional of the Year - Black Professionals Association Charitable Foundation • W.O. Walker Excellence in Community Service Award, Call and Post newspaper • Diversity and Inclusion Award, Murtis Taylor Human Services • Singular Sensation Award, Ohio Cancer Research Associates • The National Council of Negro Women, Cleveland •

Copeland holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Hampton University, where she has received the distinguished 2013 Alumnus of the Year Award, and a Master of Arts degree, Educational Development, College of Education, at The Ohio State University, where she was recognized as an esteemed Alumnus. A native Virginian, she resides in Cleveland, Ohio and is the mother of three adult children, Reverend Kimberley S. Copeland, Dr. Garrison E. Copeland and Michael Patterson Taylor Copeland.

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Congresswoman Joyce Beatty is a native Ohioan who has proudly represented Ohio’s Third Congressional District in the United States Congress since 2013. She serves on the exclusive and powerful Financial Services Committee, where she serves on the Housing and Insurance and Oversight and Investigation Subcommittees.

As an active member of the influential Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Congresswoman Beatty was selected to chair the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) 2014 Annual Legislative Conference. In 2016, she was named co-anchor of the weekly CBC “Hour of Power” addresses and was appointed Congressional Voting Rights Caucus Deputy Vice-Chair. She also currently serves as a CBCF Board Member, House Democratic Caucus’ Seniors Task Force Vice-Chair and is a member of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls. Congresswoman Beatty is a sought after public speaker, activist, the recipient of numerous awards, and was previously named one of Ebony Magazine’ s 150 most powerful African-Americans in the United States. She also is a mentor to many young people, empowering and positioning them for future success. Prior to coming to Congress, Beatty served in the Ohio House of Representatives and rose to become the first female Democratic House Leader in Ohio’s history. Congresswoman Beatty has been a member of The Links, Incorporated for 38 years and has served on the National Board under five National Presidents. In addition to The Links, Beatty is a life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the NAACP, and is active in the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the American Heart Association and numerous other organizations.

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Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge- U.S. Representative, Eleventh Congressional District of Ohio, is a committed public servant who brings a hard-working, problem-solving spirit to Congress and to the task of creating jobs, protecting safety net programs, and improving access to quality public education, health care and healthy foods. First elected in 2008, she represents the people of the 11th Congressional District of Ohio.

Congresswoman Fudge serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. She is the Ranking Member on the House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry. In the 114th Congress, the Member served as Ranking Member on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcom- mittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education. She is also a member of several Congressional Caucuses and a past Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Congresswoman Fudge consistently fights for equitable access to a quality education from preschool through post-secondary programs, child nutrition, food stamp (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients, access to locally grown, healthy foods, fair labor practices, and civil and human rights, among other issues. Additionally, she was an early and consistent voice for voter protection and remains a steadfast advocate to strengthen and preserve Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Congresswoman Fudge has served the people of Ohio for more than two decades, beginning with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. She was the first African American and the first female mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, where she led the city in shoring up a sagging retail base and providing new residential construction. Congresswoman Fudge earned her bachelor’s degree in business fromThe Ohio State University and law degree from the Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall School of Law. She is a Past National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and a member of the Greater Cleveland Alumnae Chapter. Congresswoman Fudge’s work ethic, problem solving approach, and ability to build collaborative relationships has earned her a reputation among her colleagues in Washington and at home as an insightful leader and knowledgeable legislator. As a dedicated public servant, she begins each morning with a firm promise “to do the people’s work.” It is this simple philosophy that defines Congresswoman Fudge as a Member of substance and character who always keeps her promise.

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Growing Leaders

30th Anniversary Committee Community Forum Lynnette Jackson, Chair Daisy Alford Smith

Luncheon Awilda Hamilton, Chair Katie Robinson, Co-chair Daisy Alford Smith Dana Capers Sharon Clayton Debra Green Renee Holcomb-Hardwick Tanya Howard-Grace Lynnette Jackson Glenda Moss Sharon Mackel Roberta Settles-Cheatham Barrett Teamor Barbara Williams

Teresa Metcalf Beasley Terri Hamilton Brown Dana Capers Lisa Farmer-Cole Alison Graves- Calhoun Renee Holcomb-Hardwick Eleanor Hayes Andrean Horton Kimberlyn Hood Tanya Howard-Grace Roberta Settles-Cheatham Robyn Minter Smyers Barrett Teamor Stephanie Turner Valerie Weaver Barbara Williams

30th Anniversary Acknowledgments With deep appreciation and gratitude we sincerely thank the following individuals for their time, talent & treasures The Honorable Joyce Beatty The Honorable Marcia Fudge Margot James Copeland, 15th National President, The Links Incorporated

Mike Austin- Instrumentalist Rodney L. Brown Photography Anne C. Juster Tony Sias & Karamu Leslie A. Kuebler Thompson Hine LLP

Celebrating 30 years of service to the Greater Cleveland Community 1987 - 2017