Health and Human Services

The Links, Incorporated established the Health and Human Services facet in response to the chronic health disparities that persist in black communities and result in the decreased life expectancy of African Americans and other people of African ancestry. The goal of HHS is to promote and facilitate programs that support the maintenance of good health and the elimination of chronic health disparities in communities of color through education, health advocacy, and optimal utilization of health resources. 

Educating our community about health risks is crucial , and The Fort Lauderdale Chapter of the Links, Incorporated have played a significant role, by  educating our own members about healthy lifestyles and disease prevention, to ensure that we become models of the health behavior we ourselves hope to promote in our community.  

 

Past community service and projects sponsored by The Fort Lauderdale Chapter are the following:

 

  • Sponsor annually an Anniversary Luncheon that brings speakers and personalities of national prominence to the community. Proceeds from this event are used to fund local projects. Recent speakers have included: Congresswoman Carrie Meek, Tavis Smiley, Susan Taylor, Lynn Whitfield and Attalah Shabazz and others.
  • Financial support for the construction of the African American Research Library and Cultural Center. The chapter donated $50,000 to the project in memory of the late Kathleen Cooper Wright, civic activist, child advocate, and the first African American to hold a countywide office—member of the School Board of Broward County, Florida.
  • Provided clothes for students and parents of students at Sunland Park Elementary.
  • Provided financial support to the United Negro College Fund.Financial support for “Friends of Children,” an organization that works to save teenagers who are severely “at risk.”
  • Published a hardbound documentary entitled Black Pioneers in Broward County: A Legacy Revealed, 1976.
  • Hurricane Katrina: Responded to this tragedy included a Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund to assist displaced evacuees. The Links, Incorporated also partnered with the Children’s Defense Fund, Women of the Storm, and The Links Foundation to respond to the needs of displaced victims and support of Universities in the area.