A dedicated community activist for many years, Catherine
supported education, the artsf, and family advocacy. She has been involved in
The United Negro College Fund, a founding member of Friends of Art for Community
Enrichment, The Ohio Wesleyan University Upward Bound program. She was a member
of the SOUL committee which helped promote art from the National Afro
American Museum
and Cultural Center in Wilberforce University
.
A former Columbus
City Schools teacher, her focus on education
led her to become an active volunteer, supporter and Board member of I
Know I Can, a program that guarantees every Columbus City Schools student
an opportunity to attend college,
She initiated The Chess in the Neighborhood program at the
M.L.King Library and was asked to extend the program to other sites.
Catherine is a former member of the Columbus Medical
Association Foundation. As a long time trustee and past president of the
Columbus Youth Foundation, Catherine worked with other board members to seek
out innovative after school and summer camp educational and enrichment programs
for young people from urban communities .
In 1997, She was a
co-founder with the late Thelma Givens as retired teachers, The Lunch Bunch,
which is the sponsor of The Helen
Jenkins Davis Scholarship Fund. The
organization is composed of community
women who have awarded from personal donations more than $140.000.00 to more
than 145 African American graduating seniors from Columbus City Schools .
Her most recent endeavor was to create and participate in
forming an urban strings youth orchestra growing from 2 youth in 2007 to
approximately 35 youth string musicians ages 11 to 18.
Partial listing of her awards and accolades include,
YWCA Women Of
Achievement (1992),
Julian Sinclair Celebration of Learning Award from Columbus Metropolitan
Library(2000)
Montessori Champion
of Children Award as an advocate, mentor (2002)
Columbus Public Schools
Golden Ruler Award (2003)
Honoring Your Elders
Award, along with other outstanding community elders, presented by Senator Ray
Miller (2006)
Catherine was selected a Capital Women of
Distinction, one of 18 women in Columbus who is a leader in philanthropy and
volunteerism and has shaped the future of the community and made it a better
place to live. This award was sponsored by The United Way, The Columbus
Metropolitan Club, The Woman’s Fund and The YWCA (2012)
She has received the Jefferson Award (twice) 1985 and 2015
Inducted into the
Central Ohio Senior Hall of Fame (2015)
Greater Columbus
Arts Council, Community Arts Partnership Award Arts Educator (2016)
The Columbus
Symphony Music Educator Award (2019)
The Harrison Sayre Award presented by the Board of The
Columbus Foundation (2020)
Catherine is a
50+years ,member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and am alumna member of Twin
Rivers Chapter of The Links. She is a member of St Philip Lutheran Church,
having served on Church Council and the Worship committee.
She wants to be remembered as” someone who made a difference
in the life of a child”.