In the News

Media contacts: Bunnie Jackson-Ransom
- 404.505.8188 (404-226-8000 cell)
The Links, Incorporated: Kristie Patton Foster
- 202-842-8686

THE LINKS, INCORPORATED ANNOUNCE NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT ® SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

Washington, DC (May 11, 2008). Included in the more than 800 winners of the National Achievement Scholarships recently announced by the National Achievement Scholarship Program, are six young Black women who will receive their $2,500 individual scholarships from The Links, Incorporated.

The National Achievement Program was established in 1954 to honor scholastically talented Black American youth and to provide scholarships to the most outstanding students in the annual competition. The Links, Inc. is one of the forty (40) corporate organizations and professional associations to underwrite the achievement scholarships. All finalists in the 2008 competition were considered for this single-payment grant, which was awarded on a regional representation basis, in numbers proportional to the population of Black Americans in each geographic region.

Winners of The Links scholarship earned a SAT score of 1200 or better. The winners include Cherica R. Richmond, from Decatur, GA, who will attend Vanderbilt University; Lauren Potter, from Woodside, CA, who will attend Georgetown University; Jerece Grayson, from Norman, OK, who plans to attend the University of Oklahoma; Amanda Ellison, from Evanston, IL, who is planning to attend St. Olaf College; Zahra L. Dawson, from Ft. Washington, MD, who will attend Emory University; and Cherae L. Clark, who attends the Tasis-American School in England and plans to enroll at the University of Kansas. “Link member are keenly aware that education is the key to career advancement and the fulfillment of many an aspiration. We salute these young people whose perseverance and commitment to excellence represent the best of their respective high schools and communities,” said Jeannine Quick-Frasier, Chairperson of The Links Grants and Aid Committee.

“The Links, Incorporated has been giving scholarships to deserving African American students since 1946, when it was founded. Our scholarships are also given at the area and chapter levels; and we know that we can never do enough as long as there is some Black student who wants to go to college and struggles to pay tuition and purchase books,” said Dr. Gwendolyn Lee, national president of The Links, Incorporated. “This scholarship aid that we provide through The Links Foundation to the National Achievement Scholarship Program expands our reach to those students who have the good test scores and a greater potential for success.”

About The Links, Incorporated

The Links, Incorporated, founded in 1946, is one of the oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of women who are committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry. The Links, Incorporated has a membership of nearly 12,000 professional women of color serving in 273 chapters in 42 states, the District of Columbia, Germany, South Africa and the Bahamas. Through its philanthropic arm, The Links Foundation, Incorporated, the organization has contributed more than 22 million dollars to charitable causes since its founding. In 2006, members contributed more than 500,000 documented hours of hands-on service hours to assist communities throughout the United States, Africa and in developing countries. Washington, DC is the site of the national headquarters. To learn more about The Links, Incorporated, visit the website at www.linksinc.org.