For Chicago’s Misericordia, a special home for children and adults with special needs, Linda has volunteered in the bakery, the restaurant and for Candy Days. Through the Northwest Jewish Employment Resource she created a special program for the unemployed in her area entitled “Time To Get Hired: How To more Effectively Sell and Market Yourself!” Linda serves on the Sisterhood Board of Temple Chai where she packs and delivers packages to those in need and chairs events. She has created a regional program called STORIES TO TREASURE – how to preserve the art of storytelling from generation to generation.

Before moving to our chapter, she served on the New Leadership Board of the Pittsburgh Symphony and as a board member of the Pennsylvania Educational Network for Eating Disorders (PENED). where she spearheaded the building of an outpatient recovery facility. There she also served on the board of Allegheny East Mental Health & Rehabilitation Center, was a member of the Altrusa International, Inc. of Pittsburgh, and other steering committees for organizations to promote the economic and arts related initiatives.

Involved with NSA and its chapters for over 15 years, Linda is Past President Pennsylvania Speakers Association. She has spoken to chapters and various NSA convention and workshop breakout sessions as well as serving in national leadership roles including chairing NSA’s first World Congress, Chair of Chapter Leadership, and currently serving on the Strategic Partnership Council. She has earned the CSP designation.

Deborah volunteers at the Warrenville Youth Center where she works with girls who are imprisoned for committed crimes. She has conducted self- esteem and leadership workshops to help them identify their potential and set goals to accomplish upon their release. She has also volunteered with the Big Brother/Big Sister of Decatur Association for a number of years in which she was matched with the same young lady who is now in her first year of college and although the formal program has ended, they are still in touch and will always remain in a big sister/little sister relationship.

Through her church affiliation she volunteers at Hesed House for the homeless in Aurora. As a life member of a community action based organization, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. she volunteers time with clothes drives for the needy, feeding the homeless at Thanksgiving and Christmas, baby showers through their partnership with the March of Dimes for young pregnant girls and monetarily providing scholarship donations to deserving college students.

Deborah serves on the NSA-IL Board of Directors for 2005 -2006 as the VP of Communications. She works with the Executive Director to ensure that our chapter email blasts are timely and engaging. She has also assisted on chapter committees.