History of The Lunch Bunch

In 1987, Columbus Public Schools educators Catherine T. Willis and the late Thelma J. Givens called together a group of retired African American educators for lunch.  That lunch was the deciding factor to organize a permanent "Lunch Bunch" group that would meet monthly.  Later, it was decided to open the membership to all women who supported the mission of the organization.

Because the members felt so strongly about the needs of urban students, an annual need-based scholarship was established for African American Columbus City Schools graduates.  The scholarship was named after Helen Jenkins Davis, an advocate for the rights of minority teachers and students.

Initially, the Lunch Bunch provided scholarships from their personal funds.  After receiving 501(c)(3) status in 2015, the group began to conduct fundraising events to assist more students with greater amounts of money.  The "Harvest Brunch" fundraiser held in November of 2023 was quite successful due to generous sponsors, community and membership donations, and participation.  That event raised over $21,000.

Since 1987, $226,000 in scholarships have been awarded to more than 193 students.  Each year since 2022, The Lunch Bunch has awarded six graduating Black/African American seniors of Columbus City Schools $3,000 each.