The month of March is designated as social work appreciation month and I am very proud to honor the terrific work of our social work staff. Elizabeth Clark, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers, describes the profession in one succinct, powerful sentence: “Social workers weave together the threads of society’s social safety net.”
Unlike many fields where one functions as a specialist in something, social work is an integrative field –a social worker needs to have a good understanding of a wide range of human issues and community resources in order to do his or her job well.
And the social work staff at JF&CS is one of the very best. They play a critical role in helping to improve the social functioning and social conditions for thousands of people in psychological, emotional, economic and/or physical need.
So as March unfolds, I want to thank our JF&CS social work colleagues whose passion for their work makes such a tremendous difference in the lives of so many members of our community.
Adoption (Family Hope Connection)
Aneesa Holt, LSW
Diane Stol, MSW
Career Services (Career Development Center)
Erin Barr, LSW
Counseling (Squirrel Hill Psychological Services)
Bari Benjamin, LCSW, BCD
Wendy Levin-Shaw, LCSW
Barbara Wollman, LCSW, RPT-S
Critical Needs/Emergency Assistance
Claire Burbea, LCSW
Ellie Eisenstat, MPS, MSW
Linda Marino, BSW
Elder Care
Pearl Averbach, LCSW
Sandy Budd, LCSW
Stefanie Small, LCSW
Food Assistance (Squirrel Hill Community Food Pantry)
Becky Abrams, MSW
Guardianship
Therese Bissonette, BSW
Patty McKeown, BSW
Refugee Services
Caitlin Delich, BSW
Alexis Szymanski, MSW
Dawn Zuckerman, MSW
Scholarship (Central Scholarship & Loan Referral Service)
Alayne Lowenberger, LSW
To social workers everywhere, thank you!