History
The Links, Incorporated celebrates nearly 75 years as a women’s volunteer service organization committed to enriching, sustaining, and ensuring the cultural and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry. A premier international service organization with over 17,000 members in 299 chapters located in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and the United Kingdom, its legacy of friends providing service that changes lives, established by the original circle of nine friends in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1946, is alive and well.
Margaret Hawkins
Co-founder
Sarah Scott
Co-founder
The Links, Incorporated is an international, not-for-profit corporation, committed to enriching, sustaining, and ensuring the cultural and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry. Originally organized by Margaret Roswell Hawkins, Sarah Strickland Scott, and seven of their friends, these women envisioned an organization that would respond to the unique needs of Black women. Specifically, the club sought to center its focus on the civic, educational, and cultural development of the immediate community. The Links, Incorporated is now a premier international service organization with over 17,000 members in 299 chapters located in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and the United Kingdom. It has a legacy of friends providing service that changes lives. Established by an original circle of nine friends in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1946, The Links, Incorporated is very much alive and well.
The members of The Links, Incorporated are influential decision makers and opinion leaders. The Links, Incorporated has attracted many distinguished women who are individual achievers and who have made a difference in their communities and the world. They are business and civic leaders, role models, mentors, activists, and volunteers who work towards a common vision by engaging like-minded organizations and individuals for partnership.
Members of The Links, Incorporated regularly contribute more than 1 million documented service hours in their respective communities annually. The Links Foundation, Incorporated, the philanthropic arm of The Links, Incorporated, has made more than $25 million in charitable contributions since its founding. Working closely with its sponsors and supporters, The Links, Incorporated is focused on creating transformational programming and impacting lives in communities through five facets: Services to Youth, The Arts, National Trends and Services, International Trends and Services, and Health and Human Services.
Learn more about the national organization at linksinc.org
The Commonwealth Chapter
The Commonwealth (VA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated has humbly served the Metro Richmond Area since it was chartered in 1998. Through the original leadership of Dr. Cynthia Mayo and Mrs. Marjorie Chrichlow Smith, in 1992 a formal interest group was established under the name of C-WIF (Commonwealth Women Impacting Families). With the support of other local chapters such as the Richmond (VA), James River Valley (VA), and Petersburg (VA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, The Commonwealth (VA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated was formally chartered with 32 members. Chartering officers included the following:
Chartering Members and Officers of The Commonwealth (VA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated
Chartering Officers
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Gertrude Jones
President
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Cynthia Mayo, Ph.D.
Vice President
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Claudia Wall Johnson
Secretary
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Roberta Caston, Ed.D.
Corresponding Secretary
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Marie Moore
Treasurer
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Jacquelyn Joyner, Ph.D.
Archivist
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Margie Booker
Parliamentarian
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Chartering Members
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Rose Adams
Christine Ballard
Faye Bradley, Ed.D
Beverly Davis
Delores Dalton
Denise Dickerson
Connie Edwards
Rosalind Everett
Linda Gross
Rosemary Jones
Pauline Levy
Vanessa Myers Mason
Carolyn Murray-Montgomery
Julia Pope
Shirley Pretlow
Brenda Price
Marilyn Royal
Deborah Jewell-Sherman, Ed.D
Joyce Shockley
LaVerne Spurlock, Ed.D
Pearl Thomas
Lornel Tompkins, M.D.
Robbie Thompson
Jean Williams
Currently, President Margie R. Booker, a visionary and an original organizer, leads the Commonwealth (VA) Chapter. Through its core values such as friendship, service, family relationships and commitment, the Chapter provides a variety of community services. Additionally, its “hands-on” youth programs span from elementary school to college, addressing the academic emphasis of the Richmond metropolitan area community organizations and educational institutions. Endowed scholarships for students are provided to HBCU colleges and universities in the area.
President Margie is a dedicated community leader. “We are proud to provide a variety of services that are designed to enhance the improvement and continued upward mobility of our students,” she states.