Approximately 80 people attended the 2007 Knee/Wittman Achievement Awards and the 2007 NASW National Lifetime Achievement Award Ceremony and Reception on Friday, February 1, 2008, at The Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. The evening opened with welcoming remarks from NASW Executive Director and NASW Foundation President Elizabeth J. Clark who recognized the NASW Social Work Pioneers®, chapter executive directors, national board members and NASW staff who were in attendance. This was the 16th year that the Knee/Wittman awards have been given to recognize individuals who are models of excellence and have made significant contributions in the field of health and mental health. Award namesake Ruth Knee, who served as the host for the evening, also addressed the gathering, noting the “professional and caring contributions” of the award recipients. Milton Wittman was represented by his son, Perry Wittman.

Betsy Vourlekis was recognized with the Knee/Wittman Lifetime Achievement in Health and Mental Health Practice Award, Teresa DeCrescenzo received the Outstanding Achievement in Health and Mental Health Policy Award, and Dorothy V. Harris was honored with the NASW National Lifetime Achievement Award during the event.

DeCrescenzo has long been recognized as an icon in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. She founded Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services (GLASS), a non-profit agency that provides comprehensive services for youth, particularly those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender who live in out-of-home care. Betsy Vourlekis has contributed to social work research and practice on the national and international levels and has had a career spanning many areas. NASW President Elvira Craig de Silva presented Dorothy V. Harris with the NASW Lifetime Achievement Award. She has been a leader in child welfare initiatives that focus on improving child welfare systems.

NASW Foundation presents award to Case Western Reserve University studentWashington, DC – The National Association of Social Workers Foundation is pleased to announce that Amy Krentzman is the recipient of the Jane B. Aron Doctoral Fellowship for 2007-2008. This Fellowship Program provides partial support to doctoral students who are engaged in dissertation research in health care policy and practice.

Ms. Krentzman will explore the disparity in health policy and practice that indicates that African Americans recover from alcoholism through different pathways than Caucasians. To this point, research has determined that there are different processes and interventions that enable someone to recover from alcoholism. Ms. Krentzman’s research suggests that a framework of spirituality and religion provide a different set of strengths to the African American community.

This research is particularly important because it is the intersection of several social problems – alcoholism, racism and health disparities. By understanding the roots of the recovery from alcoholism, health policy and practice can be modified to enable more to participate. Health policy related to alcoholism touches all aspects of life, employment, pregnancy, criminal justice and illness, among others.

“Ms. Krentzman’s study has promise of improving our knowledge of social supports such as spirituality/religion in the treatment of alcoholism,” says Dr. Kathleen Farkas, associate professor at Case Western Reserve University. “I have confidence that her findings will build the evidence base and contribute to policy and practice in the treatment of alcohol and other drugs.”

For more information about the NASW Foundation or the Jane B. Aron Doctoral Fellowship, please visit www.naswfoundation.org or e-mail foundation@naswdc.org.

NASW Foundation presents award to University at Albany studentWashington, DC – The National Association of Social Workers Foundation is pleased to announce that Anna Zendell is the recipient of the Eileen Blackey Doctoral Fellowship for 2007-2008.  This Fellowship Program provides partial support to social work doctoral students who are engaged in dissertation research in welfare policy and practice.

Sibling caregivers comprise a population of increasing significance in developmental disabilities policy and practice.  Ms. Zendell’s research will examine the factors associated with successful caregiving outcomes among siblings and will also determine the types of assistance these caregivers might find beneficial.  Finally, she will examine the factors that lead for a sibling to be the primary caregiver.

Ms. Zendell hopes that the knowledge gained from her research will contribute to a better understanding of how sibling caregivers come to assume care and suggest ways in which service providers and disability policymakers can better assist them.  This study will lay the groundwork for a Sibling Caregiving Tookit of information and services designed to aid siblings facing decision about care.  This toolkit will be distributed through the Center on Intellectual Disabilities at the School of Social Welfare, University at Albany.

For more information about the NASW Foundation or the Eileen Blackey Doctoral Fellowship, please visit www.naswfoundation.org or e-mail foundation@naswdc.org.

Washington—The National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASWF) announces the 2007-2008 Consuelo W. Gosnell Memorial Scholarship recipients.The scholarships are awarded for one academic year to students who have demonstrated a commitment to working with, or have a special affinity to American Indian, Alaskan native, or Hispanic and Latino populations.  These candidates have also demonstrated a commitment to working with public or voluntary non-profit agencies or local grassroots organizations. They are all MSW candidates.

This year’s awardees include:

• Olivia Abeyta-Gonzalez, Colorado State University

  As a bilingual and bicultural woman, Ms. Abeyta-Gonzalez observed disparities in health and mental health services provided to the Latino community.  While pursuing her Master of Social Work, she has worked as the Coordinator of the Multicultural Services Program in Larimer County, building bridges for the Latino community.  She also hosts and produces a local radio program designed to reach monolingual Spanish speakers in the Colorado Front Range.

• Aldrin Ceballos, University of Maryland

  A Columbian immigrant, Mr. Ceballos knows first hand the struggles of immigrants to the United States.  While in Columbia, he pursued a degree in communications and also worked in Human Resources.  Upon immigrating to the United States, Ms. Ceballos knew that his calling was to work with children and families affected by contemporary problems such as immigration, drug abuse and domestic violence.  He shares first hand experience with those who have immigrated and will be an asset to their transition to becoming citizens.

• Lisa Humphrey, University of Minnesota – Duluth

  As a case worker and licensed foster parent for the Leech Lake Ojibwe Indian tribe, Ms. Humphrey has intimate knowledge of the challenges and strengths of Native American people.  She has worked in child welfare and juvenile justice disciplines of social work and hopes to continue this work upon graduation from the University of Minnesota – Duluth.  Additionally, she travels to Mexico as a member of Witness for Peace, a group that examines the effects of globalization on indigenous people in Mexico.

• Juan Ortiz, North Carolina State University

  After immigrating to the United States from Venezuela, Mr. Ortiz found his work with HIV/AIDS in minority communities inspiring.  Upon entering his Master of Social Work program at North Carolina State University, he knows his goal is to offer quality psychotherapeutic services to low-income communities.  He would also like to work with mental health providers to deliver culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate services to Spanish-speaking clients.

• Monica Paz, University of Southern California

  For the past four years, Ms. Paz has worked with children who have prenatal exposure to methamphetamines at the UCLA Medical Center.  While her primary role is research and evaluation, she has seen the enormous impact her social work skills have provided to these children and families, particularly the low-income, Latino families.  Upon completion of her degree, she would like to work in a mental health clinic that focuses on underprivileged Latino children.

• Britt Urban, University of Texas at Austin

  Ms. Urban has dedicated herself to working with immigrant populations since she was an undergraduate.  In her various jobs she has worked on behalf of farm workers, on education campaigns about the human rights abuses, and has advocated for those who have been victims of human trafficking.  She hopes to continue working on the issue of human trafficking, particularly with the vulnerable Latino community, both in micro and macro social work practice.

The Gosnell Scholarship was established through a bequest of Consuelo Gosnell, a social work practitioner who was born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and died in Texas in 1987. Gosnell was a champion of civil and human rights and worked diligently to ameliorate conditions for critically under served American Indians and Latinos in the Southwest. Gosnell practiced for many years in federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

For more information about the NASW Foundation or educational scholarships, please visit www.naswfoundation.org or e-mail at naswfoundation@naswdc.org.

NASW Foundation gives Jackson State University student awardWashington, DC – The National Association of Social Workers Foundation is proud to announce that Pamela Smith will receive the Verne LaMarr Lyons Memorial MSW Scholarship for the 2007-2008 for her work with African Americans.

This scholarship is awarded to MSW candidates who express an interest in or work with the African American community through practice in health or mental health services.  Scholarship recipients work in hospitals, medical clinics, and social services agencies that provide treatment and specialized services to African American patients.

Ms. Smith is in the Master of Social Work program at Jackson State University.  Throughout her education, Ms. Smith has worked in health practice, particularly with African Americans, educating the community about heart disease.  She was also a wellness intern with the Quality Education for Minorities Network in Washington, DC, where she created an adolescent obesity curriculum.

Ms. Smith has developed a deep commitment to the use of social work knowledge and skills to promote health and mental health awareness among the African American community.

For more information about the NASW Foundation or the Verne LaMarr Lyons Memorial MSW Scholarship, please visit www.naswfoundation.org or e-mail foundation@naswdc.org.

Reopening the process for accepting nominations for the 2007 Knee/Wittman Health & Mental Health Achievement Awards and the International Rhoda G. Sarnat Award. All nominations must be received by September 14, 2007