Congressman Edolphus Towns (NY-10) has been an unwavering advocate for the profession of social work throughout his 15-term tenure in the United States House of Representatives and NASW celebrates his lifelong career of service to others. Congressman Towns, as a professional social worker with an MSW from Adelphi University, has devoted his life to addressing issues of inequality and social justice. He has served as Chairman for the Congressional Black Caucus and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. President Obama released a statement hailing Congressman Towns’ public service.
Most recently Congressman Towns founded the Congressional Social Work Caucus (CSWC), which represents the interests of over 650,000 professional social workers nationwide and serves as a congressionally-approved bipartisan group of Members of Congress dedicated to maintaining and strengthening social work services in the United States. Learn more about the work of the CSWC including briefings and events held on topics of importance to the profession and to the clients served by social workers.
Additionally, the Congressman has been the House sponsor of the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act. The legislation, which has a Senate companion bill introduced by Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD), addresses the workforce challenges facing the profession such as low salaries, high educational debt, and safety concerns.
In response to his retirement, Dr. Elizabeth Clark, Executive Director of NASW said that, “Congressman Towns has been an incredible friend of and advocate for our profession. He has consistently used his social work skills and training to work in a bipartisan and effective way to achieve sustainable results. His community, the country, and the profession of social work have been left better due to his efforts.”
Send Congressman Towns a letter of appreciation today. Feel free to use the draft language below (and edit to personalize) and send your message to towns.swra@mail.house.gov. Our goal is to have members from every state send their message of appreciation to the Congressman.
Please note that although you may not receive a response from the Office of Congressman Towns, however he expresses his appreciation for your support.
Dear Congressman Towns,
As a professional social worker, I want to thank you for your lifetime of work on behalf of our profession and the clients we serve. You have been an unwavering advocate for the most vulnerable among us and our communities have been left better as a result of your work.
I appreciate that you have sponsored the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act since the 110th Congress. It has been a groundbreaking piece of legislation for social workers and I commit to working to ensure its passage. I also want to thank you for creating and serving as Chair of the Congressional Social Work Caucus. The CSWC is important to social workers nationwide, so that we can see the issues that we care about reflected in the halls of Congress, and work to bring real, sustainable change to some of society’s most pressing problems.
We wish you luck in the next steps of your career, and celebrate your legacy of social work leadership.
Sincerely,
