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“Our Children, Our Commitment, Our Concern”

History of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the
Continental Societies, Incorporated

The "regional" concept was Continental Mabs Kemp's dream in 1978. The first Mid-Atlantic Regional Director was Dorothy Gassaway of the Washington, D.C. Chapter. Continental Gassaway held office from 1980 - 1981. The second Mid-Atlantic Regional Director was Dr. Annie Ricardson from the Norfolk-Virginia Chapter. Continental Ricardson held office from 1981 - 1982, and then she became ill and died on August 3, 1983.


The third Mid-Atlantic Regional Director was Dr. Lois Harrison-Jones of the Richmond, Virginia Chapter. Continental Harrison-Jones served from 1982-1985. Continental Harrison-Jones conducted the 1st Regional Conference on March 17, 1984 at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia. The meeting theme was "Forward into Action" and there were 51 Continentals in attendance, and 8 of 9 chapters represented at the meeting. The conference was designed to provide opportunities for chapters to organize for effective operation, establish goals and objectives, develop operational guidelines, answer questions, and clarify matters related to the regional structure.


The 2nd Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held March 15-17, 1985 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. The conference theme was "Issues and Action". There were 13 Continentals in attendance. The objectives of the conference included development of regional guidelines (bylaws), the issue of teenage pregnancy - a regional project, opportunities for social interaction, and college connection within the region. Dr Harrison-Jones was later elected to be National President of the organization, thus vacating the office of Mid-Atlantic Regional Director. There was no regional conference in 1986, and the region had a bank balance of $546.18. Presidents within the Mid-Atlantic region received an invitation from Mabs Kemp to meet at the close of the November 1986 board meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the future of the region, where it stands, and in which direction it should move.


The fourth Mid-Atlantic Regional Director was Mabs Kemp, who served from 1986 to 1990. She was also served at the national organization level as First National Vice President, and National President. She was a member of the Washington, D.C. chapter.


The 3rd Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held March 20-22, 1987 at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel & Towers in Durham, North Carolina. The Durham, North Carolina Chapter was the host chapter. The conference theme was "The Four R's of a New Beginning: RE-THINK, RE-GROUP, RE-COMMIT, and RE-ACT". The formal theme was "Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention: What to do, Why and Who to do?" The conference objectives were teenage pregnancy, a college connection within the regional structure, and opportunities for social interaction. There were 50 Continentals and 17 Continental Guys in attendance. One of the highlights of the conference was the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Forum, which was facilitated by Continental Barbara Foskey, Vice-President of the Durham Chapter.
The 4th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held March 11-13, 1988 at the Governors Inn in Newport News, Virginia, and the Newport News-Hampton Chapter was the host chapter. The conference theme was "Growth in Change: Change is Progress Continentals Coping". The Regional Achievement Trophy was introduced at this conference, which is the region's highest award. The trophy was awarded to the Goldsboro Chapter (Goldsboro, North Carolina).


The 5th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held March 10-12, 1989. The conference was hosted by the Goldsboro, North Carolina Chapter. The conference theme was "Growth in Change: Change is Progress Continentals Coping" , which was the same conference theme used in 1988. The first regional election was held and Continental Mabs Kemp was elected Mid-Atlantic Regional Director. Continental Kemp established the "Presidents' Commission on Unity (PCOU), which is composed of the chapter presidents. The first regional fundraiser - the 50/50 raffle was created. The Goldsboro Chapter won the MARAT Award. There were 68 Continentals and 22 Continental Guys and guests in attendance. Sadly missed, Continental Mabs Kemp died in 1990 leaving the Mid-Atlantic Regional again without a leader.


The fifth Mid-Atlantic Regional Director was Dr. Deloris Greene from the Richmond, Virginia Chapter. Continental Greene served from 1990 to 1993. She was elected through a special election to serve out the remaining term of Continental Mabs Kemp at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference held March 9-11, 1990 in Roanoke, Virginia. An Assistant Regional Director was also elected at this conference. The theme of the conference was "Unity-Maintaining Our Heritage - Striving for Excellence in the 1990s". There was a new national alignment of chapters announced at this conference. Additionally, it was passed, at the national board meeting, that the Columbus, Ohio chapter would move to the Mid-Western Region, and the Washington, D.C. chapter would move to the Eastern Region. The Columbus Chapter requested to stay in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Director Greene had a follow-up Planning Summit on May 26-27, 1990 at the J.S. Reynolds Community College campus in Richmond, Virginia. The summit theme was "Reviewing the Past…Clarifying the Present…Defining the Future…". The three objectives of the summit were to establish priorities for the 1990 -1991, establish effective operational procedures for 1990 - 1991, and provide comprehensive guidelines for governance.


The 7th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held March 8-10, 1991 at the Norfolk Airport Hilton Hotel. The Norfolk\Virginia Beach Chapter served as host chapter. The conference theme was "Love Thyself, Step Forward with Pride". This conference is where the regional newsletter was established, and Continental Rose Vann served as the newsletter publisher.


The 8th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was March 13 - 15, 1992, and was hosted by the Raleigh Chapter (Raleigh, North Carolina). The theme was "Continentals in Action: Maximizing Effectiveness through Unified and Creative Planning". The conference objectives were to develop a regional culture, and to determine networking strategies for fundraising and program development.


The 9th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was March 12 - 14, 1993 at the Williamsburg Hilton hosted by the Matthews, Virginia Chapter. During this conference, Continental Eloise Larkin was voted by the Mid-Atlantic Region to the National Hall of Fame for the Continental Societies, Incorporated. There were 73 Continentals and 15 Continental Guys in attendance at this conference.


The sixth Mid-Atlantic Regional Director was Dr. Addessa Lewis White from the Raleigh, North Carolina Chapter. Continental Lewis White served from 1993 to 1997. The 10th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held March 11- 13, 1994 in New Bern, North Carolina and hosted by the New Bern Chapter. During this conference, the Mabs Kemp Essay Contest was introduced, and the first winners were Keshia Smith from Raleigh, North Carolina (1st place), Atiba Blair from Columbus, Ohio (2nd place), and Shenelle Foster from Matthews, Virginia (3rd place).


The 11th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held March 9 - 13, 1995 at the Omni Waterside Hotel in Norfolk, Virginia. The conference was hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Region. At this conference, the first Queen Contest was held, and Helen Wallace of Richmond, Virginia was the winner. There were 70 Continentals in attendance at the conference.

The 12th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was March 8-10, 1996 at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina. The Charleston, South Carolina Chapter was the host chapter for the conference. The conference theme was "Bridging the Gap Through Commitment to Children and Youth with Special Needs". The Florence Prunty Scholarship was introduced at this conference by the Norfolk/Virginia Beach Chapter. There were 48 Continentals in attendance.


The 13th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held at the Holiday Inn Airport Hotel in Roanoke, Virginia, with the Roanoke Chapter serving as host chapter. The seventh Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Sadye White of the Roanoke, Virginia Chapter held office from 1997 to 1999. Continental White held a planning session on October 7, 1997 at the Virginia Harrison African American Cultural Arts Museum in Roanoke, Virginia.
 

The 14th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held on March 13-14, 1998. The Northern Virginia Chapter served as the host chapter for the conference. The conference theme was "Continental's Development Strategies to Prepare Our Youth for the New Millennium". A total of $40, 561.84 was spent by 10 of the 13 chapters on HEER (Health, Education, Employment, and Recreation) plus Arts and Humanities programs and projects.
 

The 15th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held March 14, 1989 at the Hyatt at Capital Square in Columbus, Ohio. The conference theme was "Mid-Atlantic Continentals on the Move with HEER Plus One". Continental Marcialene Slate of Columbus, Ohio won the National Hall of Fame Award.

The eighth Mid-Atlantic Regional Director was Florence Blount from the Newport News - Hampton, Virginia Chapter. Continental Blount served from 1999-2003. Continental Blount held a Strategic Planning Retreat on July 31, 1999 at the Main Street Library in Newport News, Virginia. The theme of the planning retreat was 'Where Do We Go From Here". There were 21 Continentals in attendance. The objectives of the planning session were to address the lack of and\or poor communication, revising the Mid-Atlantic by-laws to meet national guidelines, finding better ways to communicate, strengthening the bond between chapters, and putting children and Continentals first before personal agendas.


The 16th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held on March 11, 2000 at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Wilmington Chapter was the host chapter. The Regional HEER Project theme was "Health and Welfare 2000: Focusing on Homeless\Abused Children". Miss Mary Richardson won the National Scholarship from the Mid-Atlantic Region. She was sponsored by the Norfolk/Virginia Beach Chapter. Miss Richardson attended the College of William and Mary. There were 72 Continentals in attendance, and 13 of the 72 Continentals were first time conference attendees.


The 17th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held on March 10, 2001 at the Hampton Holiday Inn in Hampton, Virginia. The Newport News - Hampton Chapter served as the host chapter. During this conference, Continental Maggie Oliver was voted to the National Hall of Fame from the Mid-Atlantic Region. Miss Tashara Sharelle won the National Scholarship for the Mid-Atlantic Region, and she was sponsored by the Newport News - Hampton Chapter. There were 100 attendees at the conference.


The 18th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held March 8-9, 2002 in New Bern, North Carolina. The New Bern Chapter was the host chapter.


The 19th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held March 7-8, 2003 at the Hilton Hotel in Norfolk, Virginia. The Norfolk/Virginia Beach Chapter served as the host chapter. The National Scholarship winner was Miss Erica Connor, who was sponsored by the Richmond Chapter. Continental Florence Blount was the inductee for the Mid-Atlantic Region for the Hall of Fame. There were 120 Continentals in attendance at the conference.


The ninth Mid-Atlantic Regional Director was Dr. Nancy Wilson from the Roanoke, Virginia Chapter. Continental Wilson served from 2003-2005. Continental Wilson held an executive board meeting on August 1, 2003 where discussions were held on a special HEER award for a chapter project, a leadership award, a second place scholarship, and CAMP. On November 23, 2005, Dr. Wilson resigned as Mid-Atlantic Regional Director.


The 20th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held March 11-12, 2004 at the Sheraton Hotel in Durham, North Carolina. The Durham Chapter served as the host chapter. There were 82 Continentals in attendance, with 18 of those being first time attendees. The National Scholarship winner for the region was Mr. Donald Mullen, Jr., who was sponsored by the Newport News - Hampton Chapter. During this conference, the first Florence Blount Leadership Award was presented to Continental Comatha Johnson of the Goldsboro Chapter. The Mid-Atlantic Regional History Book was also presented and sold at this conference.


The 21st Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held March 11-12, 2005 at the Holiday Inn Express in Goldsboro, North Carolina with the Goldsboro Chapter hosting. Continental Helen Wallace, of the Richmond Chapter, was the region inductee for the National Hall of Fame. Miss Elizabeth Jarrett, sponsored by the Goldsboro Chapter, was the Mid-Atlantic Winner of the National Scholarship. There were a number of first time awards presented at this conference including the following: 2nd Place Scholarship was presented to Miss Britney Blackmon, who was sponsored by the Durham Chapter, the Edna B. Prunty and Gertrude B. Logan February Camp Award was won by the Charleston, South Carolina Chapter, and the Marquina S. Spencer HEER + Arts & Humanities Chapter Award were given to the Charleston, South Carolina Chapter.


The tenth Mid-Atlantic Regional Director is Continental Comatha Johnson of the Goldsboro, North Carolina Chapter. Continental Johnson has been serving the region since 2005 to the present.
 

The 22nd Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held March 10-11, 2006 at the Wyndham Roanoke Airport Hotel in Roanoke, Virginia. The Marquina S. Spencer HEER + Arts and Humanities Chapter Award was presented to the Goldsboro, North Carolina Chapter. The Gertrude B. Logan/Edna B. Prunty Camp Award was presented to the Norfolk/Virginia Beach Chapter. The Mid-Atlantic Region Scholarship winner was Mr. Zachery Hines, sponsored by the Newport News-Hampton Chapter, and the second place scholarship winner was Miss Place Ashlee Murphy, sponsored by the Roanoke Chapter. The Florence Blount Leadership Award was presented to Continental Jean Roach of the Newport News - Hampton Chapter.
 

Keep the Dream Alive
You've got to answer when you're called.
Don't Give up Continentals!
 

Thank you for the opportunity to serve…


(NOTE: This historical summary is based on research and a presentation given by Continental Florence Blount, Mid-Atlantic Region Historian, at the 23rd Annual Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference Awards and Recognition Luncheon on March 10, 2007at the Omni Hotel in Newport News, Virginia hosted by the Matthews, Virginia Chapter)