by Janine Ferguson
On Saturday, May 15, 2022, Judy Batson, retired educator, Shantel Davis, corporate executive, Valerie Green, retired pharmaceutical executive, Kimberly Holloway, IT executive, Kimberly Morrison, marketing executive, Rhonda Peoples-Waters, county judge, Nicole Thomas, hospital executive, and Kay Williams, attorney were inducted into the Bold City (FL) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.
“We are honored to welcome eight dynamic women who are influential change agents in our community. We warmly welcome each of them into our circle of friendship and service,” said Wanda Willis, Chapter President.
Membership into the Links is by invitation only and includes a series of educational opportunities and an impactful act of service. The women united their passion and purpose to identify a way to contribute to the local community as part of their candidate process and “The Power of Philanthropy: Sustaining Healthy Habits One Donation At A Time,” was born. The project capitalized on their individual and collective strengths to address the increasing healthcare needs within the community.
Collaborating with Volunteers in Medicine Jacksonville, Incorporated (VIM), the women lead an inaugural donation and collection drive, dubbed “The BIG GIVE.” Together they engaged their personal and professional networks for a broad appeal to the community. Their campaign raised close to $2,500 in monetary gifts and donated supplies.
“The BIG GIVE” aligned directly with the historic organization’s mission to execute transformational programming in the local community and beyond while focusing on five key service areas: Services to Youth, The Arts, Health and Human Services, National Trends and Services, and International Trends and Services. The Bold City Chapter is no stranger to multi-faceted service, a few recent contributions include gift cards to the students at Andrew Jackson High School in honor of perfect attendance, a free physical and mental health workshop for the community and exposure of elementary age youth to the arts through field trips and hands-on creations. In addition, the chapter also awarded $15k in scholarships to students attending HBCUs. The Bold City Chapter joins the Links Incorporated’s 298 chapters as community change agents.
Established in Philadelphia, PA, 1946, The esteemed organization is an international, not-for-profit corporation, that focuses on service through friendship. The membership consists of more than 16,000 professional women of African descent throughout the country, 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 cultural and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry.
With the addition of its’ new members, Jacksonville’s second chapter has 51 members. For more information about the Bold City (FL) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, which has served Jacksonville for nearly three decades, visit www.boldcitylinks.org.
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