Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc. is a national professional and humanitarian organization. Based in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Top Ladies of Distinction has approximately 7,000 members and 111 individual chapters throughout the United States.

History

Top Ladies of Distinction was conceived by Major Ozell Dean of Washington D.C. during a White House luncheon. TLOD was then formed in 1963 after a meeting with former First Lady

Lady Bird Johnson Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson (; December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 as the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson. She had previously been Second Lady of the United States from 1961 to 196 ...

. Dean was the first African-American flight nurse in the United States Air Force. The organization was formed to utilize the skill sets of women in the U.S. to help with moral and social issues, especially those affecting the youth. The organization was incorporated in 1964 and held its first national convention in 1969.

Programs and initiatives

Top Ladies of Distinction has many programs and projects providing solutions for social issues and improving underserved communities. This includes anti-bullying initiatives and mentoring for youth. Requirements for local chapters include a teen program (referred to as Top Teens of America) and collaboration with local senior citizen facilities. Teen programs include teaching conflict resolution, personal finance, and coping skills. The group also raises money for and supports other organizations that have included

St. Jude Jude the Apostle (Ancient Greek: Ἰούδας Ἰακώβου translit. Ioúdas Iakóbou Syriac/Aramaic: ܝܗܘܕܐ translit. Yahwada) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is generally identified as Tha ...

, the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

National Council of Negro Women The National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (NCNW) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1935 with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African-American women, their families, and communities. Mary McLeod Bethune, ...

, Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, and

UNCF UNCF, the United Negro College Fund, also known as the United Fund, is an American philanthropic organization that funds scholarships for black students and general scholarship funds for 37 private historically black colleges and universities. ...

References

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External links

Official website
Organizations established in 1964 Non-profit youth organizations based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Houston History of women in Texas Women in Houston