Page 29 - The Scepter - Fall 2016_Winter 2017

Dunn, president of the Top Ladies of Distinction Sout On Saturday, Top Teens from the South Suburban
Suburban Chicago Chapter. group planted flowers at the Markham Public Library,

made contributions to St. Jude and heard presentations
“We provide all our programs under five national from guest speakers on financial literacy and effective

thrusts - services to youth, community beautification, communication and body language.
community partnership, status of women, and enhanc-

ing the lives of senior citizens,” Woldman said. Among other activities they’ve been involved in are the
March of Dimes walk and helping pack food boxes at

Members are encouraged to take a loved one to the the Thorton Township food bank, Dunn said.
doctor, a campaign that initially was launched by radio

personality Tom Joyner. We jumped on the bandwag- The South Suburban Chicago Chapter has a back-to-
on,” Woldman said. work initiative targeting women who are unemployed or

“We have partnership with AARP where we talk about underemployed.

care giving,” she added. “We do a series of care giving “We have worked with Thornton Township to conduct
forums to inform people and make them aware of the resume-writing workshops to help participants com-

legal, physical and economic aspect of caregiving. plete resumes and do mock interviews,” Dunn said,
adding they’ve also donated gently used business cloth-

We also have a partnership with St. Jude. We were the ing to Dress for Success in Chicago.
first multicultural organization in St. Jude to have our

own walk. “Our teens are involved with all our programs,” she
stressed.

Last year, Top Ladies raised more than $40,000 nation-
ally for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Mem- Crete-Monee High School senior and Monee resident

phis, she said. Raven Miller, 18 has been a Top Teen for Four years.
She said the program helped her grow out of her shy-

Woldman, who is running unopposed for her second ness and boosted her self-confidence and public speak-
two-year term, says she has been working to have the ing skills. She is finishing a term as chapter president

organization partner with a major pharmaceutical com- and will be attending Mississippi State University, where
pany in an effort to encourage greater participation by she plans to major in animal science.

African-Americans in clinical drug trials. African-
Americans are often leery about being involved in such Community service participation has taught her “it’s

trials, but greater participation could lead to more effec- always a blessing to be a blessing to someone else,” she
tive treatments for African-Americans, Woldman said. said.

Among organizations Top Ladies advocates for and Jamal Clay, 16, from Olympia Fields and a sophomore

supports are the Sickle Cell Disease Association of at Marian Catholic High School, said that during his
America, NAACP, the National Council of Negro four years as a Top Teen, he has learned the importance

Women, the Black Women’s Agenda and UNCF, repre- of public speaking and that it’s important “to be pre-
sentatives said. pared for all things.”

Woldman estimates the nearly 53 year old organization When he graduates, he wants to attend Northwestern
has raised more than $250,000 for UNCF over the University to study electrical engineering, he said. Un-
years. The UNCF National Alumni Council in Febru- der Woldman’s leadership, Top Ladies partnered with
ary presented Top Ladies with a 2017 Legacy Award. the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child

Health and Human Development, part of the National
Woldman first became involved with Top Ladies about Institutes of Health, to incorporate the institute’s evi-
two decades ago. She was initially inducted into the denced-based anti-bullying education materials into the
organization’s South Suburban Chicago Chapter, where Top Teen program, Woldman said.
she once served as chapter president. Top Ladies and
Top Teens have to be sponsored by members to join
the organization.