WHEREAS, The Links, Incorporated, an international, not-for-profit corporation established in 1946 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by homemakers Sarah Strickland Scott and Margaret Roselle Hawkins, became a national organization in June 1949; and WHEREAS, The Links, Incorporated, consists of 12,000 professional women in 274 chapters located in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and is one of the nation's oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of African American women, the members of which are influential decision makers and opinion leaders committed to enriching and sustaining the culture and ensuring the economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry; and WHEREAS, with a focus on local communities, members of The Links, Incorporated, chapters work as business and civic leaders, mentors, role models, community activists, and volunteers who contribute more than 500,000 hours of community service each year; and WHEREAS, The Links, Incorporated, consists of 17 chapters in the Commonwealth of Virginia—Charlottesville, Chesapeake/Virginia Beach, Commonwealth, Danville, Hampton, James River Valley, Lynchburg, Newport News, Norfolk, Old Dominion, Petersburg, Portsmouth, Reston, Richmond, Roanoke, Southside Virginia, and Suffolk—that focus on programs designed to address local, national, and international education, health care, and other human services issues; and WHEREAS, The Links, Incorporated's, unique mission of combining friendship and purposeful service to make history, provide hope, and enrich the community through education and the arts has had positive results in the community, provided support and assistance to assuage educational disadvantage and cultural deprivation, and created opportunities that have allowed members of the organization to use their talents to help fulfill the hopes and dreams of others; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend The Links, Incorporated, chapters in the Commonwealth of Virginia; and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare copies of this resolution for presentation to Margot James Copeland, national president; Dianne Hardison, area director of the Old Dominion (VA) chapter; and the presidents of the chapters of The Links, Incorporated, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, requesting that they each further disseminate copies of this resolution to their respective constituents in order that they may be apprised of the General Assembly's appreciation of the organization's service to the Commonwealth. |