Pontchartrain Chapter Members of The Links, Incorporated Take Mission Trip to Haiti

With a purpose to empower women and positively impact children in Haiti, five members of the International Trends and Services Facet Committee of the Pontchartrain Chapter of The Links, Incorporated embarked upon a mission trip in December of 2014. Leila Eames, chair of the committee, along with members Kiana Mitchell, Tonia Moore, Keely Thibodeaux, and Shawnell Ware traveled to Haiti with the We Care Charitable Foundation, which visits the Grand Boulage Village in the country yearly to feed over 500 children and 300 adults.

"Because poverty and health inequity are experienced worldwide, the Pontchartrain Chapter sought to partner with organizations serving the impoverished outside the United States," said Sarah Moody Thomas, President of the Pontchartrain Chapter. "Our goal is to empower women abroad through health education to improve personal hygiene and promote health literacy. The trip to Haiti was one more step toward achieving our goal."

Along with volunteers from the foundation, the Pontchartrain Chapter members served food to the families as part of a Christmas Celebration and Mass, and staffed the Christmas Toy Giveaway. The mission trip to Haiti also provided a unique opportunity for the Pontchartrain Chapter members to personally disseminate 100 Women’s Survival Kits in the village. This year marked the distribution of more than 300 Kits since the Chapter’s launch of this initiative. The members then gave a brief presentation on the importance of personal hygiene and demonstrated the use of items in the survival kits. The session also included instruction on how to conduct breast self examination accompanied by a laminated pictorial for each woman.

"The success of our programming in Haiti, and our mission trip in 2014, was in large part a result of our partnership with the We Care Charitable Foundation," said Kiana Mitchell, the Pontchartrain Chapter’s Program Chair. "My chapter’s passion to service the women and children of Haiti has been longstanding. However,　our ability to efficiently put ‘boots on the ground’ and make a visual assessment was directly connected to the hospitality and accommodations provided by our partner.　 The mission was humbling on so many levels and I will forever have a special connection with the women in my Chapter who shared this experience with me."

In addition to the members’ service in Grand Boulage Village, they also visited the Foyer Espoir Pour les Enfants (FEPE) orphanage and school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which the Chapter has supported since 2011. The members provided each child with packs of undergarments and presented the school with school supplies. FEPE serves a resident population of over 25 children at the orphanage and more than 100 students in its school.

"The mission trip to Haiti was both a humbling and rewarding experience for all of us. It provided us the opportunity to bond with each other, while serving the less fortunate," said Leila Eames, Chair of the Pontchartrain Chapter’s International Trends and Services Facet Committee. "Putting smiles on the faces of the beautiful children of the village and orphanage made the journey fulfilling. Seeing the women of the village cherish the items in the ‘Women’s Survival Kits’ brought tears to our eyes."

National Treasurer of The Links, Incorporated and Pontchartrain Chapter Member Carolyn Lewis Honored With Reception

The Pontchartrain Chapter of The Links, Incorporated recently hosted a reception in honor of chapter member Carolyn Lewis, National Treasurer of the organization. The event was held at Zea's Restaurant in New Orleans in recognition of Lewis’ years of dedicated service and role as a national officer.



Immediate Past President and Reception Planning Committee Chair Hattie Broussard,

National Treasurer Carolyn Lewis and The Arts Committee Chair Jacquelyn Bates

 

In addition to chapter members, guests in attendance included members from the New Orleans and Crescent City chapters of The Links, Incorporated; Lewis’ sister, Cheryl Lewis; and Lewis’ pastor, C.S. Gordon. Pontchartrain Chapter member Jacquelyn Bates had the honor of recognizing the special guests who were in attendance. 

 

Southern Area Director Eneid Francis, National Treasurer Carolyn Lewis,

 and Pontchartrain Chapter President Sarah Moody Thomas

Highlights of the evening included remarks from the Southern Area Director for The Links, Incorporated, Eneid Francis; Pontchartrain Chapter President Sarah Moody Thomas; and Immediate Past President of the Pontchartrain Chapter and Reception Committee Chair Hattie Broussard. Lewis also received Proclamations from several political leaders, which Pontchartrain Chapter member Regina Bartholomew presented. Lewis ended the evening with remarks giving her heartfelt thanks for the reception and gifts received.



 

 

 

Chapter Members Prepare Women Survival Kits for Upcoming Haiti Trip

 

 

Members of the International Trends and Services Committee packaged 104 Women Survival Kits that will be given to women in Grand Boulage, Haiti. Each kit includes sanitary napkins, combs, a toothbrush, soap, deodorant, undergarments, and a washcloth. Members of the Pontchartrain Chapter will go to visit Haiti December 11 - 16, 2014 to deliver the items.

 

 



Pontchartrain Chapter of the Links Attends 39th National Assembly

The Pontchartrain Chapter of the Links, Incorporated had a strong presence at the 39th National Assembly in National Harbor, MD.

Link Carolyn Lewis was elected National Treasurer and Link Hattie Broussard was on the conference planning committee. The chapter was recognized for program adherence to best practices and our celebration of friendship. 

 

Link Eneid Francis, Southern Area Director, gave a stellar presentation highlighting the performance and accomplishments of her administration and of the chapters and members of the Area.   

Link Cori Brock Cooper was a member of Cohort V of the Scott Hawkins Leadership Institute (SHLI).  Those who fulfill this two year commitment complete a rigorous curriculum designed to increase self-awareness, build leadership capacity and sustain the viability of the organization.

Pontchartrain Chapter of the Links, Incorporated celebrates 20 years of friendship and service at "A White Rose Evening"

White roses were everywhere from the tabletops to the stage at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans Hotel, where this elegant décor set just the right mood for The Links, Incorporated, Pontchartrain Chapter "White Rose Evening" on May 31, 2014.

Sarah Moody-Thomas and Vernon Thomas



 

The Pontchartrain Chapter, founded May 20, 1994 with 26 charter members, became The Links, Incorporated's 254^th chapter, the third one in New Orleans. The gala was a way to mark the chapter's 20^th anniversary and to honor its members.

 

Mistress of Ceremonies Camille Whitworth guided the night's program, with the highlight being the introduction of members. For this, a history of the chapter was read, starting with the announcement of the charter members, then of others who were introduced according to their year of induction until 2014 was reached. By the end of the history, all chapter members present at the event (current and former) had formed a semi-circle in the center of the room for recognition and applause.

Currita Waddy, Hattie Broussard and Debra Neveu

 

Among The Links, Inc. members who attended were Dr. Sarah Moody-Thomas, the chapter president, accompanied by her husband, Vernon Thomas; Currita Waddy and Dwayne Pierce; Hattie and Terrel Broussard; Debra and Wayne Neveu; Rhoda Timpton with mother, Mary Timpton, a charter member of the chapter; Renee Gusman and Sheriff Marlin Gusman; Drs. Janet and Shelton Barnes; Claudia and Lloyd Clark; event co-chair Judge Regina Bartholomew and Jimmy Woods; and event chair Eneid Francis, who is also the Southern Area Director for The Links, Inc.

 

The night also included music by violinist Shaun Ward, who played through dinner, followed by Gina Brown and Anutha Level, whose interpretations of popular songs kept party-goers entertained and dancing.

Judge Regina Bartholomew and Eneid Francis

 

The Pontchartrain Chapter focuses locally on a mentoring program at McDonogh #35 School, for seventh- and-eight grade girls; and provides annual donations of musical instruments to schools (of which McDonogh #35 was this year's recipient) — those are two key components (Services to Youth and The Arts) of the five key service components. The other three are National Trends and Services; International Trends and Services; and Health and Human Services. The Links, Incorporated is marking its 65^th year, with the first chapter founded in Philadelphia, Pa.

 



Rhoda Timpton, Jonathan Wilson, Carolyn Lewis, Centrell Ewell



Yvonne Mitchell-Grubb, Renee Gusman, Marlin Gusman, Tonia Moore

 

Janet Barnes, Lloyd Clark and Claudia Clark

 

Revised from an article in the NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune published June 5, 2014.

 

Jinx Broussard Highlights the Contributions of African American Foreign Correspondents

Congratulations to Dr. Jinx Broussard, a member of the Pontchartrain Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, on the release of her newest book, "African American Foreign Correspondents." Published in June, 2013 by LSU Press, the book highlights the remarkable individuals that brought an often-overlooked black perspective to world reporting.  Her book is the first to be published on this topic.

 

Though African Americans have served as foreign reporters for almost two centuries, their work remains virtually unstudied. In this seminal volume, Jinx Coleman Broussard traces the history of black participation in international newsgathering. Beginning in the mid-1800s with Frederick Douglass and Mary Ann Shadd Cary—the first black woman to edit a North American newspaper—African American Foreign Correspondents provides insight into how and why African Americans reported the experiences of blacks worldwide

 

By examining how and why blacks reported information and perspectives from abroad, African American Foreign Correspondents contributes to a broader conversation about navigating racial, societal, and global problems, many of which we continue to contend with today.

For more about the book, visit: http://lsupress.org/books/detail/african-american-foreign-correspondents/

 

Jinx Coleman Broussard teaches media history and public relations in the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University. She conducts research on the black press and is the author of Giving a Voice to the Voiceless: Four Pioneering Black Women Journalists.

Cynthia M.A. Butler-McIntyre Recognized for Delta Sigma Theta National Leadersip

Cynthia M.A. Butler-McIntyre, a member of the Pontchartrain Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, was recognized by Senator Mary Landrieu for her service as national president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Ms. Butler-McIntyre served as national president from 2008-2013, and spearheaded the Delta's 100-year anniversary activities, including their history making participation in the January 2013 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA. The centennial activities, which will continue throughout this year, included the 51st National Convention held July 11-17, 213 in Washington, D.C.

Carolyn Lewis, also a member of the Pontchartrain Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, served as National Treasurer of Delta Sigma Theta during Ms. Butler-McIntyre's first term (2008-2010), which was Ms. Lewis's second term in office. 

 

Sen. Landrieu's tribute, as preserved in the Congressional Record on July 11, 2013, noted the numerous achievements of Ms. Butler-McIntyre, both as a member of the New Orleans community, and as a Delta. "  Under the leadership of Mrs. McIntyre, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority has partnered with Water in Education International, WEI, to open The Cynthia M.A. Butler-McIntyre Campus in Cherette, Haiti which is dedicated to providing access to clean water for children. Members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority have donated funds to support the Clean Water Haiti Fund and under Mrs. McIntyre's direction, the sorority is set to open a new elementary school in Haiti this summer. 

Mrs. McIntyre is a national leader who currently serves on the board of the New Orleans Convention Center and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force. Previously, she served as executive director of the Tech-Prep Summer Program at Delgado Community College in New Orleans and has worked as the assistant coordinator of field experiences and college education supervisor for early childhood student teaching experiences for the University of New Orleans. In 2011, she was appointed by President Barack Obama to the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation board of trustees.

 

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority has truly benefitted from Mrs. McIntyre's leadership as a pioneer of education reform. Her accolades include Distinguished Delta of the Year, Distinguished Public Servant Award, MLK Outstanding Activist Recognition, Hall of Fame, Distinguished Women of Honor, Who's Who in American Education, YMCA Role Model Recognition, Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year, and Teacher of the Year, just to name a few."