The Westchester County Chapter of The Links is dedicated to providing service through friendship. Over the past year alone, The Chapter’s 45 members contributed 4,878 volunteer service hours. They donated over 600 new children’s books; provided access to free dental screenings and oral health education to hundreds of Westchester children; mentored and groomed young men enrolled in The Chapter’s Young Achievers’ program for future success; assisted women veterans in preparing to return to the civilian workforce; fed the hungry; provided companionship for the elderly, and presented $15,000 in scholarships for college-bound students.
“Some people reach 65 and say it’s time to retire, but that is not who we are as members of the Westchester County Chapter of The Links, and it’s not what we do,” said F. Dianne Young, President, The Westchester County Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. “As an organization, we are just hitting our stride. The Westchester County Chapter of The Links continues to challenge ourselves to be relevant and proactive in terms of helping improve the quality of life in the County’s African-American communities. I can think of no greater tribute to the women who came before us and no greater inspiration for those who will follow.”
Many members and alumnae of The Chapter also serve in other capacities – as judges, in local government, as heads of non-profits, in Corporate America and on the boards of such local organizations as the Red Cross, Westchester Arts Council, the Westchester County African-American advisory board, the Urban League, Neuberger Museum of Art and countless other organizations.
The Westchester County Chapter of the Links makes its impact felt in several areas of vital importance, including health and human services; the arts; national trends and services; international trends and services, and service to youth. This year, as part of its 65th anniversary celebration, the Westchester County Chapter of The Links also presented Legacy Awards to community partners that have supported and assisted The Chapter in providing information, resources and opportunities to the County’s underserved populations. Recipients of the awards included: The Association of Community-Based Artists of Westchester, Inc. (AC-BAW); Cecil H. Parker Elementary School; Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® New York Mobile Dental Van Team; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Mount Vernon High School; Neuberger Museum of Art; New Rochelle High School; The Omicron Iota Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.; Sister to Sister International, Inc.; The Theodore D. Young Community Center; The Wartburg Adult Care Community Center and Woodlands High School.