NASW News

— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff   The Coalition for Women’s Appointments met at NASW’s offices on Jan. 29 to discuss possible nominees, among other things. As the Obama administration took office and began moving forward on legislation to respond to the national economic crisis, NASW continued its advocacy work on behalf of social workers and their clients. NASW sent out an action alert to members on the advocacy listserv who had Republican House members, urging them to write their representatives and ask them to support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (H.R. 1), especially certain provisions included in ...

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Launched in 2001, the NASW Foundation grew from the association's charitable, educational and research activities. Today, it continues to build upon its distinct identity and serves as the only foundation in the U.S. devoted specifically to advancing social work practice. "The Foundation fulfills a unique role," said NASW Foundation Director Robert Arnold. "But our programs and activities wouldn't be possible without the support of our donors. We're grateful for their generosity and, in the years ahead, we hope to increase our activities and make an even bigger impact." The Foundation is committed to enriching the social work profession and...

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NASW members are being encouraged to provide their current e-mail addresses to the association in order to take full advantage of member benefits and services. By taking a moment to visit the NASW member center. Web site, members can easily sign in and verify their e-mail addresses, said Susan Rubin, marketing manager at NASW. At the member center, members can modify or change their notification preferences, their profiles, renew their memberships and learn more about membership benefits. Having a working e-mail address registered with the association keeps members informed and on top of the many NASW activities and events that are importa...

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff   The U.S. Supreme Court decided two cases in which NASW filed briefs last year. Additionally, NASW recently filed two friend-of-the-court briefs in cases addressing custody disputes between same-sex couples. Decisions Reached The U.S. Supreme Court reached a decision in Crawford v. Nashville, for which NASW joined a brief filed by the National Women's Law Center and other groups to argue that the anti-retaliation provision of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects workers from dismissal because of cooperation with an employer's internal investigation of sexual harassment. The case involved Vick...

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The Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors (BPD) is hosting its annual conference in Phoenix March 18-19. NASW is a strategic partner with BPD in presenting this year's forum and will host a special plenary session on the Whitney Young Film and Leadership Development Project at the event. The theme of the conference is BPD Generalist Practice: The Future is Now. The goal of the annual gathering is to exchange new ideas and best practices in baccalaureate social work education among educators seeking to improve the delivery of quality social work education throughout the country. NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Cla...

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Jan. 2009 Board's Action Context Finance Received the financial report for the period ending Dec. 31, 2008 The treasurer presented the financial statements as of Dec. 31, 2008. She reported that year-to-date revenues were $7.8 million and expenses were $9.1 million, resulting in a net loss of $1.3 million for the six month period July to December 2008. Ths difference of approximately $1.3 million...

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Richard L. Jones was reelected to a three-year term as president and chair of NASW Assurance Services, Inc. (ASI) at the ASI Board of Directors meeting last November. Jones is president and CEO for Metropolitan Family Services, one of the largest private human service agencies in Chicago. Previously, he served as president of the Center for Families and Children in Cleveland and executive director of Boston Children's Services in Boston, Mass. "I'm excited to be reelected to the role of board chair because it gives me an opportunity to continue working on the development and roll out of a number of new insurance products that are responsive...

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The positive efforts by Marc Jacobs were highlighted in a column by Julia Spitz published in the MetroWest Daily News in Massachusetts. Jacobs is chief executive officer of Jewish Family Service of Metrowest. The column highlighted the Jewish Family Service's program that helps to reduce achievement gaps, both academic and social, for vulnerable students at Framingham's Woodrow Wilson Elementary School. The school's Principal Robin Welch and Jacobs came up with the Weekend Nutrition Program, which provides free food for students and their families. "This whole thing started last year when an anonymous donor talked to Marc Jacobs about helpin...

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From the DirectorA plaque hangs in my kitchen where I see it each morning. It's only three words, but it speaks volumes. It simply states, "Dwell in Possibility." It's the title of a poem written by Emily Dickinson who lived from 1830 until 1886. In her lifetime, Dickinson wrote 1,775 poems. "Dwell in Possibility" is number 657. In this particular poem, possibility is a house, a structure. Some literary scholars contend that Dickinson used architectural vocabulary in this poem to describe the spaciousness of the imagination. Dickinson's poem reminds me that each day is unlike any other day. Each day is filled with purpose, potential...

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The NASW Foundation has received its third consecutive 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, the largest independent-rating organization of nonprofit charitable and educational organizations in the U.S. Receiving four out of four stars indicates an organization excels in successfully managing its finances in an efficient and effective manner. "This consistency in your rating is an exceptional feat, especially given the economic challenges many charities have had to face in the last year," said Farhana Arastu, program analyst with Charity Navigator. Robert Arnold, director of the NASW Foundation, said it was an honor to receive the highest ...

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