Little Rock designer Korto Momolu and her fashions are a sure draw. Little Rock trumpeter Rodney Block and his group, The Real Music Lovers, are sure to be a draw. Get them at the same event, and you've got yourself a crowd.
That's what members of the Little Rock Chapter of The Links Inc. were hoping for, and got, by featuring the two talents at their 40th annual Holiday Jazz Brunch and Fashion Show, a Links benefit that took place Dec. 6 in the ballroom of the Little Rock Marriott Hotel.
Guests mingled and vied for silent-auction items prior to the day's program. After some feigned hesitation, Donna Terrell -- KLRT-TV, Channel 16, news anchor, Links member, and master of ceremonies -- kicked off her opening remarks by singing a couple verses from the Roberta Flack hit "Killing Me Softly With His Song" while Block and his band provided accompaniment and the audience joined in. The men later played while guests dined.
The program included a film about the work of the chapter, featuring scholarship winner Simone Thomas; the Move Your Body initiative to cut childhood obesity; the bicycle giveaway; and the Model United Nations Conference it hosted at Little Rock Central High School. Chapter President Gloria Love also greeted guests before introducing members and highlighting various other works of the Links ... gifts for children of incarcerated parents; the Girls Rock mentoring program for students of Henderson Middle School; and the now-$15,000 a year it gives for scholarships at historically black colleges and universities.
The fashion portion of the event was a showcase of Momolu's latest line, a study in regal, flowing day and evening neutrals with pops of color.
-- Story and photos by Helaine R. Williams
High Profile on 12/14/2014