Title
To Recognize and Celebrate Catherine T. Willis as a Distinguished Honoree of the 2024 Columbus Urban League Herstory Makers Event
Body
WHEREAS, Thursday, May 16, 2024 is the Columbus Urban League’s annual Herstory Makers signature event, which will honor eight trailblazing women in Central Ohio; and
WHEREAS, Catherine has been a dedicated community activist for many years supporting education, the arts, and family advocacy; and
WHEREAS, She has been involved with the United Negro College Fund, a founding member of Friends of Art for Community Enrichment (FACE), a founding member and past President of the Women’s Service Board of The King Arts Complex, a member of the Women’s Board of the Columbus Museum of Arts, a trustee of the Columbus Medical Association Foundation, and a member and past President of the Columbus Youth Foundation; and
WHEREAS, As a former Columbus City Schools teacher, her focus led her to become an active volunteer, supporter and founding member of I Know I Can, a program that guarantees every Columbus City School student has an opportunity to attend college; and
WHEREAS, She is a cofounder of The Lunch Bunch, sponsors of the Helen Jenkins Davis Scholarship designated for African American seniors in Columbus City schools and she initiated the Chess in the (Neighbor) Hood program at the Martin Luther King Library and was asked to extend it to other library sites; and
WHEREAS, Willis’ accolades sprawl from the YWCA Woman of Achievement Award to the Music Educators Award from the Columbus Symphony and more; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS: That this Council recognizes and celebrates Catherine T. Willis as a Distinguished Honoree at the 2024 Columbus Urban League Herstory Makers Event.