By Cathy DeLozier
While Linly Heflin sounds like one person—and she was—the 106-year-old non-profit that bears her name is made up of 100 Birmingham-area women. The group raises money to fund four-year scholarships for Alabama women to attend in-state colleges and universities. The organization’s primary fundraiser is an annual fashion show held in October, sponsored by Gus Mayer since 1983.
Over the last century, the group has adapted their fundraising efforts and charitable outreach, while staying true to the mission of philanthropy. When the United States entered World War I in 1917, Linly Heflin, wanting to make a difference, enlisted her female neighbors and friends to roll bandages for the Red Cross to support the war effort. Unfortunately, she met an untimely death from the flu in 1919 during the world-wide pandemic. She was 32 years old. Later that year, 30 of her friends formed the Linly Heflin Unit—referencing no affiliation with the Red Cross—to honor her memory by working to better their community. Children’s Hospital was an early recipient of their charitable fundraising before the group turned its focus to helping women achieve a college education. In 1923, they awarded their first two scholarships.
Other early fundraising efforts included a doll bazaar, elaborate Mardi Gras-style balls, a comedy production and multiple cookbooks, before landing on a fashion show in 1959. Throughout these years, the growing group continued to serve the local area, including staffing the downtown surgical depot of the Red Cross during World War II. During the COVID pandemic in 2020, the organization paused their regular fundraising operations and decided to sew fabric face masks for patients at Children’s Hospital when surgical masks were scarce.
“We decided to give back to our community in a way that was needed and was a nice little tie-in to our history,” says President Virginia Phillips. Members of Linly Heflin volunteer a minimum of 10 years attending seven meetings annually and continually serving on at least one committee. “We have no paid employees. We’re 100 percent volunteer, with very little overhead,” says Phillips. The group handles all aspects of fundraising as well as administrative tasks, from daily office work and maintaining the Unit’s archives, to upgrading and learning new technology for more efficiently running their donor management and scholarship recipient programs.
What started with two scholarships, has now grown to as many as 100 annually. Since 1923, more than $10 million has helped approximately 3,500 women attend college. As tuition rates continue to rise, so have scholarship amounts. Currently, recipients are awarded $5,000 per semester for a maximum of eight semesters for a total of $40,000 per student. Women have five years to complete their degree. Linly Heflin pays the colleges and universities directly, and the funds can be used for tuition, university sponsored room and board, books and fees. Once awarded a scholarship, beneficiaries must be full-time students with a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester, maintain a 2.5 GPA and fulfill other requirements.
“We target women for whom the chance for a college education is a game-changer, for themselves, their family and generations to come,” says Phillips. “We don’t just consider their scores and academic proficiency. We want to help change the trajectory of their lives.’
Phillips continues, “We have to turn away approximately 90 percent of the applicants because the need is so much greater than our funds. It’s heartbreaking. This year we had more than 340 applicants for 25 scholarships.” The rigorous process begins in the fall with each application being vetted by a committee that whittles the number down to approximately 50 women who are selected for interviews. Following those, the final women are selected and notified, with funds being distributed to the institutions in July.
Fashion Show Chair Courtney Stephens says, “One of the most positive outcomes of the pandemic is that we interviewed scholarship candidates online for the first time instead of in person. For many, traveling to Birmingham for interviews was a hardship creating expenses for hotels, travel and food and possibly costly time off work. We continue to interview online to this day because it simplifies the process for everyone concerned.”
Living out their credo of ‘educate a woman, and you educate a family,’ the members of the Linly Heflin Unit care deeply about their community and take pride in the accomplishments of the women who have received scholarships over the years. “We are trying to update our records to establish a complete database of past recipients,” says Phillips. “We love hearing from them about their successes after college.”
To notify the group, please send an email to [email protected] or call 205-871-8171. Facebook: Linly-Heflin Unit. Instagram: linlyheflinunit. More information can be found on their website at linlyheflin.org.
Sidebar
Upcoming Events
- Gus Mayer & Linly Heflin Fashion Show Launch Party
Thursday, September 4th, 4-7 p.m.
Gus Mayer at The Summit
Meet designer Hilton Hollis and preview his Fall collection
Free and open to the public
- Scholarship applications available online at linlyheflin.org Wednesday, October 1, 2025
- 66th Annual Scholarship Fashion Show
Wednesday, October 15th, Cocktails 5:30 p.m., Show at 7 p.m.
The Club
Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased online at linlyheflin.org. Tickets are limited and have sold out in previous years. All proceeds are used to fund college scholarships for women in Alabama.
