Milestones

The Chapter celebrated the 15th Anniversary of the Women of African Descent Film Festival  with a retrospective of favorite films from years past while spotlighting several new films.  In recognition of its continuing work on promoting heart health, the Chapter was awarded a HeartLinks grant by The Links Foundation.  The Chapter programming at Boys and Girls High School, led by the Services to Youth Facet, expanded to encompass all five facets. In May 2016, Lowell Hawthorne, President & CEO of Golden Krust Bakery & Grill, held a special session with our students at Boys and Girls High School, sharing wisdom and a meal. Students interviewed the self-made millionaire, whose business has more than 100 store locations in the United States, about his life and his advice for their career paths.   

In 2012-2013, The year of our 60th Anniversary, the Brooklyn Chapter embarked on a yearlong celebration of our legacy of friendship and service to the Brooklyn and international communities, while striving to find new ways to create lasting community impact in the future. Since 1960 through our Salute to Youth project, the Brooklyn Chapter has given more than $500,000 in financial support to over 500 students to pursue post- secondary education in creative and academic areas of study. The Brooklyn Chapter received first place program awards at the Eastern Area Conference in Arts and Health and Human Services. Additionally, the chapter received the third place program award for International Trends and Services.

In 2012, The Brooklyn Chapter developed a novel approach to fighting childhood obesity. The Brooklyn Chapter was awarded a National Obesity Initiative Grant for its Can You Imagine Me? Child Obesity Project at Public School 270 in Brooklyn. The chapter’s project was featured in a workshop at the National Assembly and won the first place Health and Human Services program award at the 2013 Eastern Area Conference.

In 2008, The Brooklyn Chapter participated in the Susan G. Komen Greater NYC Race for Cure through The Brooklyn Chapter fundraised with the Big Apple Cluster Chapters’ Team.

Chapter receives Best Practices, the Legacy Award, The Arts, and $1,00 award, the Arts for the Women of African Descent Film Festival, Best Practices, and Best Practices, National Trends, Linkages to Life, at the Links, Inc. National Assembly, Seattle, WA.

In 2007, At a shelter for women and their families who suffered domestic violence, the Brooklyn Chapter worked with both the women and their children to provide informal mentoring and recreational activities. Brooklyn Links provided job skills training including resume writing, dressing appropriately for business and interviewing skills.

Chapter receives Best Practices, 1st Place, and $1,500 award, the Arts for the Women of African Descent Film Festival, Best Practices, 1st Place and $1,500 International Trends, the Mengo Center Project, Kampala, Uganda, and Best Practices Services to Youth, Opening the World to our Youth, at the Links, Inc. Eastern Regional Conference, Arlington, VA.

In 2015, The Chapter’s STEAM program, which exposed adolescent girls to careers in science and technology, completed its first successful season. The Chapter also partnered with the American Heart Association, participating in the Brooklyn Heart Walk, co-sponsoring Go Red Saturday with other Brooklyn women’s organizations at Brooklyn Borough Hall and hosting the Big Apple Cluster of The Links at Go Red Sunday worship and brunch. At the Eastern Area Conference, the Chapter was awarded the Legacy Award for Health and Human Services and the Second place award for the Arts. Best Practices Awards in the Arts, Health and Human Services and International Trends and Services were given to the chapter.

In 2014, The Brooklyn Chapter expanded its International Trends and Services work to into a project, Medical Necessities in Haiti and Liberia, which continued the chapter’s Haitian Women’s Survival Kit Project while providing mama kits to clinics in Liberia, where medical resources and medical personnel have been scarce since the civil wars. Our involvement expanded when the Ebola crisis hit Liberia. The Chapter partnered with the HEARTT Foundation, chaired by Dr. James Sirleaf, to raise awareness about Ebola. At the National Assembly, the Brooklyn Chapter was awarded the third place program award for International Trends and Services and Best Practices Awards in the Arts, Health and Human Services and International Trends and Services.

In 2011, To address the devastating aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Brooklyn Chapter launched the Haitian Women’s Survival Kit Project to provide basic personal hygiene items to Haitian women and girls. This relief project serves as a model program for other Links chapters.

In Chapter celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the Arts Facet’s Women of African Descent Film Festival. In ten years of operation the Women of African Descent Film Festival almost 150 films — documentaries and narratives — by an international roster of women filmmakers of African descent representing countries from throughout the African Diaspora including the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Africa.

In 2006, Chapter receives Best Practices, 3rd Place, and $1,000 award, the Arts for the Women of African Descent Film Festival, Links Inc. National Assembly, Philadelphia, PA.

In 2005, In response to the achievement gap in high schools, the Brooklyn Chapter launched a multi-faceted leadership program called Opening The World to Our Youth at Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn. In collaboration with our community partners, the Brooklyn Chapter offers academic enrichment, cultural and recreational activities. Workshops include: decision making, goal setting, and other life skills. Students are offered workshops on college prep and admissions. Students are also encouraged to consider career paths through field trips and guest speakers. This program is in its eighth year.

Chapter receives Best Practices, 1st Place, and $1,000 award, the Arts for the Women of African Descent Film Festival, Links Inc. Eastern Area Conference, Baltimore, MD.

In 2010, Addressing the oral health needs of children, the Brooklyn Chapter partnered with the Colgate Palmolive’s Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program to reach underserved children and their parents in Brooklyn. These volunteer dentists conducted free dental screenings, distributed educational materials, and educate children and their families about the importance of maintaining good oral health.

In 2009, The Brooklyn Chapter, working with the National and Area International Trends and Services Committees invited and sponsored Brooklyn high students to attend a United Nations Youth Conference entitled, “Peace and Development – Disarmament Now.” Since then, the Brooklyn Chapter has continued to serve as a chapter sponsor to this annual event to promote awareness and prompt action among student leaders about human rights. Boys and Girls High School, Benjamin Banneker Academy and Medgar Evers College Preparatory School students are participating Brooklyn schools.

Chapter receives Best Practices, Services to Youth, Opening the World to Our Youth at the Links, Inc. Eastern Area Conference, Roanoke, VA.