NASW-SC

NASW SC Chapter

Welcomes You to Our Web Site!

Congratulations to our 2009-2010 Election Winners

2009-2010 Board of Directors

President-Elect
Shirley D. Furtick

Vice President
Nancy Born

At-Large Member
Ramelle T. Coker

BSW Student
Terri Doar Pope
MSW Student
Victoria Charles

2011 NASW Assembly - Delegate
Rachal M. Hatton

2011 NASW Assembly - Alternate Delegate
Susan T. Parlier

Unit Representatives

Central Unit
Rachal Hatton
Susan T. Parlier Pee Dee Unit
Ginny Byrd Porter

Southern Unit
Jennifer A. Gates Western Unit
Chris Parker

Chapter Committee on Nominations and Leadership Identification

Chair of CCN&LI
Russell Morrison

Catawba Unit
Sarah L. DeMaison Central Unit
Tamica Doby

Northern Unit
Cathey Rodgers Pee Dee Unit
Mamie J. Elmore

Southern Unit
Cherilyn Crouch
Western Unit
Tamara Houston

LMSW LICENSING EXAM STUDY PREP WORKSHOP
NASW SC CHAPTER CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM

PROGRAM: "Tips for Taking the LMSW Licensing Exam"

DATE:Friday-August 28, 2009

TIME: 8:30 am-2:15pm

LOCATION: SC NASW Chapter Lower (L) Level Large Conference Room
2711 Middleburg Dr., Columbia, SC 29204 – 803-256-8406

Click HERE for more information

ASI Announces Auto, Homeowners, and Renters Insurance Programs…

NASW Assurance Services, Inc. (ASI), through a new partnership with Liberty Mutual, is now providing NASW members and their families with access to high quality auto and homeowners insurance. Most members will be able to benefit from a significant group discount.

Click Here for More Information

NASW SC Chapter's Chapter Update

for May/June 2009

is now available on the Newsletter page

BOARD ENDORSEMENTS

The NASW SC Chapter Board of Directors has voted to endorse two initiatives.

The first is the South Carolina Social Work Reinvestment Initiative that mirrors the current national Social Work Reinvestment Act that is currently before Congress.

Click Here for More Information

The second endorsement is for a resolution in support of the petition campaign, "Good-bye Minimally Adequate Education." The petition campaign is aimed at getting one million signatures in support of a change in the SC constitution. Please see the link to the board endorsement and to the petition drive website where you can sign online.

Click Here for Board Endorsement and go here

to sign the petition and to find out more about how to support the Constitutional Amendment for "High Quality" Education.

Rural Social Workers

Plan now to attend the

34th Annual
National Institute on Social Work & Human Services in Rural Areas

Conference Theme:
Diverse Populations: Challenges for Rural Social Work in the 21st Century

July 26-27-28, 2009
(Sunday-Monday-Tuesday)

Duluth, Minnesota

Info/Register Online @: http://www.duluth.umn.edu/ce/html/rswconference.html

NASW’s New Online CEU Provider

CEUSchool’s goal is to provide you with quality on-line course content in a format that is convenient to use, affordable, and relevant for today's social worker. Their site offers fully accredited NASW classes that meet all of your CEU needs. You will receive the same academic benefits that you would enjoy at an onsite facility, along with the flexibility and self-paced learning that comes with an online education.

Go to this site to register:

http://www.ceuschool.com/?PageID=newmembers.ascx&chapter=NASWSC

Congratulations to our Annual Award Winners

2009 Social Worker of the Year
Evelyn "Lyn" Phillips, LMSW

2009 Public Citizen of the Year
Charles T. “Bud” Ferillo, Jr.

2009 MSW Student of the Year
Jessica Ceremuga

2009 BSW Student of the Year
Karen D. Gilson

2009 BSW Student of the Year
Brooke C. Wymer

For more information on our winners, please go to the May/June 2009 Chapter Update on the Newsletter page

Tell Congress to Fund the Loan Forgiveness Provisions in the Higher Education Act!

On August 14, 2008, President Bush signed P.L. 110-315 into law, which fully reauthorized the Higher Education Act (HEA) for the first time since 1998 and included loan forgiveness for national need occupations. The loan forgiveness provisions directly benefit social workers by allowing a person with a degree in social work, who is employed by a public or private child welfare agency, to have part of his or her college loans forgiven. For each year of work, up to $2,000 would be forgiven, up to a maximum of $10,000 over five years. While the law authorized the loan forgiveness program, Congress needs to appropriate funding in order for the program to operate. We are asking Congress to act quickly to fund this important program.

Repayment is particularly challenging for social workers, whose salaries continue to be among the lowest for professionals in general and for those with master's level educations in particular. In 2001, 22 percent of social workers earned under $30,000 and 20 percent earned between $30,000 and $39,999. The median salary for social workers with two to four years experience was $35,600.

While passage of this law was an important victory for NASW and the social work profession, a profession with historically low salaries and high student debt, there is still more work to be done. This program must be funded so that social workers and other professionals in public service can get relief from their student debt.

Action Needed:

Please contact your Representatives and Senators and ask them to fully fund the loan forgiveness provisions in P. L. 110-315, so that social workers and other professionals can receive relief from burdensome student debt and focus on their careers in public service.

Thanks for your advocacy!

Nancy McFall Jean, MSW
Lobbyist/Senior Government Relations Associate

Click Here for more information

NASW Launches Loan Forgiveness Web Page for Members

NASW chapters and national lobbied for and saw passage of a variety of loan forgiveness provisions in the past couple of years. These efforts were part of ongoing work to improve working conditions, salaries, and other benefits for members of the profession and to ensure that consumers have access to qualified social work professionals. NASW has compiled information on loan forgiveness at the state and national levels and created a Web site providing the most up-to-date information.

NASW SC Chapter’s Central Unit Begins Mentorship Program

NASW knows that to protect the vitality and future of social work, we need competent, compassionate, and concerned individuals in practice. This means we take the participation of students seriously and wish to increase involvement as well as to make effort to recruit and retain them in the field. To this end, we are in the process of developing a mentorship program that pairs working professionals with current students. Such a program will assist students gaining direction as they develop skills, and for mentors to promote the profession and share their knowledge and experience. If you are interested in becoming involved with the mentorship program, please email your contact information as well as the field in which you are employed or are interested in pursuing, to Rachal Hatton, rachalh@gmail.com.