Link Unlimited

Specialties

LINK Unlimited Scholars specializes in Scholarship, Mentorship, Academic Enrichment Programs, College Success.

LINK Unlimited Scholars’ mission is to provide educational college preparatory opportunities for economically disadvantaged African American high school youth. In so doing, it integrates spiritual principles, service initiatives, and mentoring relationships to foster academic success, personal development, and interracial understanding and harmony.

LINK programming has three key focuses: education, college readiness & success, and personal development, which are designed to help prepare scholars for a lifetime of professional success and personal fulfillment. These focuses also serve to combat and possibly replace the negative influences that are prevalent in economically disadvantaged areas.

Our number one goal at LINK Unlimited is to provide every opportunity that will afford the scholars we serve a concrete blueprint by which they can confidently and successfully change the trajectory of their lives.

History

Established in 1966.

LINK Unlimited Scholars was founded in response to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s hopeful message that «children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.» This hopeful message led John and Carolyn Parmer to mentor an African American child through four years of high school and enlist their friends to do the same.

Since 1966, LINK Unlimited Scholars has been Chicago’s highest performing and most experienced African American high school mentoring and scholarship program, bringing together the comprehensive resources required to shape high potential, economically disadvantaged youth into academic achievers and life-​long community leaders. We integrate mentoring relationships, service initiatives and spiritual principles to foster academic success, personal development and interracial understanding and harmony. LINK Unlimited has successfully supported more than 2,000 scholars.

Meet the Business Owner

Dr. Roslind or Dr. Roz B.

Business Owner

Our President & CEO, Dr. Blasingame-​Buford earned an Ed. D in Adult and Continuing Education from National-​Louis University; an MS in Nonprofit Management from Spertus College, and her BA from Chicago State University. Dr. Blasingame-​Buford currently serves on the Advisory Board for the University of Chicago’s Civic Leadership Academy and on the Executive Committee for the City of Chicago’s Community Development Advisory Council (mayoral appointment), and is an Illinois Ambassador Emeritus for the National Afterschool Alliance. Dr. Blasingame-​Buford has received numerous awards and commendations, including selection as an Inaugural Class Fellow of the IMPACT Leadership Development Program.

Dr. Blasingame-​Buford was selected after a nationwide search led by executive search firm, Koya Leadership Partners, a national retained executive search firm dedicated to serving clients in the nonprofit sector.