Social Work Student Alisha Ellis Receives Verne LaMarr Lyons Memorial MSW Scholarship

NASW Foundation gives Smith College Student award for work with African Americans

Washington—The National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASWF) is proud to announce that Alisha Ellis will receive the Verne LaMarr Lyons Memorial MSW Scholarship for the 2005-2006 school year.

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. Scholarship recipients work in hospitals, medical clinics, and social services agencies that provide treatment and specialized services to African American patients.

Raised in Harlem, Ellis is an advocate for underserved African American populations suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, mental illness and HIV/AIDS. She serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children who have been removed from their homes because of abuse and neglect and as a Sexual Assault Violence Intervention Advocate, supporting domestic violence or sexual assault survivors while they are in the emergency room.

After completion of her Master of Social Work, Ellis plans to develop a community based nonprofit group that will work in conjunction with local hospitals to provide families with preventative, therapeutic, advocacy and programmatic support.

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

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 150,000 members. It promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well being of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.