Haitian children. Photo courtesy of the Andora Project.

Cheers to PBS for this article and TV segment on Rachel Pierre, a Haitian-born social worker who was educated in the United States but decided to set up an organization to help children in her native country.

Haiti has no child welfare system and unattached children are at risk of being sent abroad by child traffickers.

Some Haitian parents who cannot provide for their offspring also send their children to other families where they do light housework in exchange for an education.

However some children in these “restavek” arrangements end up abused or neglected by host families.

The Haitian earthquake a year ago prompted Pierre to make her program a reality. She quit her child welfare job with Washington, D.C. and founded the Andora Project, an organization that uses collaborations and programs to build a social work system in Haiti.

The U.S. State Department has already used Andora Project recommendations in its human trafficking report.

To learn more about how social workers get involved in international affairs visit the National Association of Social Workers’ International Social Work web site by clicking here.And to learn how social workers help vulnerable children visit NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Kids and Families web site by clicking here.

Mary Walker Baron. Photo courtesy of www.shewrites.com.

Cheers to the National Association of Social Workers member Mary Walker Baron for her blog on Huffington Post about helping her elderly father-in-law age with dignity.

John was 94 years old and blind and almost deaf when he decided to relocate to California from New Jersey to be closer to relatives after his wife died. Baron soon realized their home could not meet John’s disability needs.

So with much angst they decided to put him in a senior citizen community. And to their relief things worked out, although John complains sometimes about things, like being served coffee at the end of his lunch instead of the beginning.

“John is living his life and life lived well is full of challenges and complaints and quiet caring for others. Yes, he is declining. So am I. So are you. But in his full throttle claiming all of life’s vagaries, my father-in-law has forged dignity into his decline and that might truly be the best of all possible worlds.”

To learn more about the services social workers provide the elderly, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Seniors and Aging web site by clicking here.

Nancy Miller. Screenshot courtesy of NY1.

Cheers to NY1, a 24-hour New York City news program, for this news segment and online article on the city’s first senior citizen center for the blind and visually impaired.

The center in Chelsea, which is run by VISIONS, offers equipment and services specifically for this population, including computers with braille keyboards.

Nancy Miller, secretary of the National Association of Social Workers New York City’s board, said she hopes eventually all senior citizens will have equipment and services to handle elderly people who live with disabilities.

“Our hope is 25 years from now, we will have this center, but blind seniors will be able to go to all the centers in the city because those centers will be universally accessible, regardless of what the disability is,” said Miller, who is CEO and executive director of VISIONS.

The city also plans to open a senior center for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in February.

To learn more about how social workers help the elderly visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Seniors and Aging Website by clicking here.

An organ transplantation. Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times.

Social Worker Richard Lanz had a tough job to do, according to this moving  Los Angeles Times article.

A 19-year-old Mexican immigrant had suffered an aneurysm while playing soccer. He was brain dead but his body was kept alive on life support.

Lanz, LCSW, knew the lives of several people could be saved if the young man’s kidney’s heart and other organs were donated.  The man’s eyes could also enable another person to see and his skin could be used to help burn victims.

However, he had to convince the father, who had not seen his son in three years, that his son could be a hero even in death.

“I explained how that worked, and he looked truly amazed,” wrote Lanz, who worked for 30 years in the emergency room at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Calif. “I could relate. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I am still awed by the concept of organ transplantation.”

Read the full story to see what happened.

To find out more about how social worker help clients live healthier lives and deal with death and dying visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Health & Wellness Website by clicking here.

Tanitsha Bridgers. Photo courtesy of Black Image Magazine.

Cheers to the Black Image magazine in Las Vegas for this feature on National Association of Social Workers member Tanitsha Bridgers, who created a mobile mental healthcare service to reach vulnerable populations in her area.

Bridgers found many people who need services or support, especially African Americans, did not have transportation to get to mental health professionals. So using an inheritance left by her mother who died from breast cancer Bridgers launched Mobile Mental Health Support Services Inc.

“Customarily, African-Americans don’t seek mental health services or therapy,” Bridgers said. “Typically, we deal with our psychological issues by way of Jesus ‘I am going to pray about it.’”

Mobile Mental Health Support Services Inc. now operates in three locations and has more than 100 employees. The company offers family, couple and invidual counseling, rehabilitative mental health services and community give-back programs.

To learn more about the valuable mental health services social workers provide visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Mind & Spirit Website by clicking here.

Social worker Bridgette Baker. Photo courtesy of the Deseret News.

Cheers to the Deseret News in Utah for this article about the assistance hospital social workers provide to the injured, sick, dying and their loved ones.

The article was written after a six police officers who were serving a drug-related search warrant in Ogden were shot by a former U.S. soldier. One of the officers died.

The news article covers how the team of social workers at McKay-Dee Hospital Center sprang into action to provide support the families. The team is led by Bridgette Baker, who is listed as a National Association of Social Workers member.

“Especially in a traumatic situation, sometimes the social workers are the ones trying to find the families to let them know that their loved ones are here,” Baker said. “And then they’re the ones that are greeting them at the door in the emergency department a lot of times to say ‘come with me, everything’s going to be OK.’”

To learn more about how social workers help people from all walks of life, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Website by clicking here.

AnnMarie Walsh uses free wi-fi at a train station to check her social networking accounts. Photo courtesy of Daily Record.

AnnMarie Walsh was homeless but wanted to share her story of survival and educate the public about the plight of the homeless. So she opened up Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and blog accounts and used a computer at a public library in Chicago to update fans.

According to this article on Chicago’s WGN-TV, Walsh soon had more than 4,000 followers on Twitter. Her tweets also led her to a hospital social worker who helped Walsh find permanent housing.

Now Walsh, 41, is using social networking to help homeless people who are seeking advice.

“Most of them think that homeless people are all criminals, on drugs, alcoholics,” she told the Daily Herald. “They think we don’t try to get out of homelessness and that we aren’t successful at anything. Some (homeless people) have college degrees and because of the economy got laid off.”

To read more about Walsh click here and click here.

To learn more about how social workers help people from all walks of life visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Website by clicking here.

Matthew MaGuire. Photo courtesy of the Detroit Free Press.

Cheers to the Detroit Free Press for this article on Seita Scholars, a Western Michigan University program that provides support for former foster children who are in college.

WMU social work professor Yvonne Unrau, DSW, was one of the creators of the program. Some of the services Seita provides is keeping dorms open so foster children who do not have family homes to go to during winter break can have a place to stay.

“What they need is someone to help them fill in the gaps,”  Unrau said.

Matthew MaGuire, 21, who was put into foster care at age 14 due to parental neglect, said the program is helping him stay focused on his goals. “This is a chance to start fresh,” he said.

To learn more about how social workers help young people overcome life’s challenges visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Kids & Families Website by clicking here.

Women look through boxes of donated Christmas gifts at the Stark Social Workers Network. Photo courtesy of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Cheers to the Akron Beacon Journal in Ohio for this article on the Stark Social Workers Network, a nonprofit organization that helps people who are the hardest to help.

Beverly Jordan, a former social worker at the Department of Jobs and Family Services, started the network in 1989 to help people who fell through the cracks at traditional social service agencies. Jordan said these are usually people who “have hard luck all their lives.”

The network’s clients have included a woman who was illiterate and could not fill out a job applications so came to the network for reading classes. Another client was an African American man who had been in prison most of his life and had developed an intense dislike of white people.

After six months of taking classes to help him live outside of prison this man realized his anger was keeping him from getting employed. He also learned to overcome his mistrust of white people.

A factory in Canton hired him and he is now one of the company’s most valued employees.

To learn more about how social workers help people from all walks of life overcome life’s challenges, visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Website by clicking here.

On "Glee" football player Dave Karofsky (actor Max Adler), left, bullied gay student Kurt Hummer (Chris Colfer) although Karofsky is secretly gay. Photo courtesy of DVD Verdict.

Commentary by David Shrank, MSW, LSW

Bullies and their victims come in every size, shape, and ethnicity and from every social and economic class.

Bullying is linked to low self-esteem on the part of both the bully and the victim. That is because a person will only be affected and become the “victim” if that person has low self-esteem and becomes mentally and/or emotionally hurt by the comments or actions of the bully.

Fox’s hit TV show, “Glee,” focuses on high school teens from a variety of social groups who come together to form a  singing club. “Glee” has made many references to bullying in a multitude of ways with several characters being bullied by others.

One of the major characters of the show, Santana Lopez, is a lesbian of Hispanic origin, who appears to have incredible difficulty accepting herself in that she refuses to identify herself as a lesbian. She is very promiscuous in ways she deems socially acceptable.

Santana also continually bullies others, but becomes highly sensitive when others point out the potential of her being a lesbian which results in her feeling hurt and saying she is being bullied.

One of the school’s football players, Dave Karofsky, is gay but refuses to accept this reality. Instead, he bullies other gay teens at the school both physically and verbally. It turns out that he has a strong crush on the gay student he bullies the most.

Lack of self-acceptance quite often leads to bullying. By the same token, not accepting oneself makes a person more susceptible to being bullied based on low self esteem. Those with low self-esteem, generally speaking, either become the target for bullying, or they become the bully in order to change the social environment and become more empowered.

And quite often, those around the bully are afraid of being bullied themselves, so they become aligned with the bully and are then in a state of being in power. Both the bully and those the bully are aligned with usually feel horrible about hurting the feelings of others, but are so relieved not to be the target that they continue on this path.

A person who doesn’t accept themself but wants to be in a powerful social status is most likely to become a bully because as the saying goes “misery loves company” and the bully will feel better about putting down the victim.

Actress Naya Rivera portrays Santana Lopez on "Glee." Photo courtesy of IMDB.com.

The strength of “Glee” is found within the characters who are being bullied who make it their job to teach the bullies a lesson that they should be “out and proud.” This reinforces the strength of self acceptance. 

Self acceptance is one of if not the most important aspect of human social development. Self-acceptance leads to being grounded as a person and leads to increased self-esteem. High self esteem usually correlates to comfort in one’s personality and strengths.

The more a person likes themselves, the more likely the person will have increased self esteem. With increased support from others, especially from support groups, one’s self-esteem most likely will increase. Particularly with the topic of bullying, self-acceptance will almost always lead to increased self-esteem and therefore a reduction and potential elimination of bullying behavior.

Shrank is a corrections case manager in Trenton, N.J. who evaluates former inmates who have persistent mental illness. He also provides them with clinical therapy, resources, and acts as their court liaison. He also is head of mental health and a board member for the Equality Project, an anti-bullying activist nonprofit agency.  In addition Shrank, who received his master’s degree in social work from Temple University, is developing a private practice working with children who have been severely bullied.

To learn more about how Shrank and other social workers help young people overcome life’s hurdles visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Kids & FamiliesWebsite by clicking here.

Julie de Azevedo Hanks. Image courtesy of Sharecare.

Congratulations to National Association of Social Workers member Julie de Azevedo Hanks, MSW, LCSW, for being named the No. 1 online influencer when it comes to the issue of depression on Sharecare.

Sharecare (www.sharecare.com) is an interactive, social question-and-answer platform that simplifies the search for quality healthcare information. It was created by in 2007 by Jeff Arnold, founder of WebMD, and Emmy—award winning host, Dr. Mehmet Oz, in partnership with Harpo Studios, Sony Pictures Television and Discovery Communications.

To read about Julie on Sharecare, click here.

And to learn more about how social workers help clients overcome depression and other mental health issues visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Mind and Spirit Website by clicking here.

Aaron Alvin Sr. Photo courtesy of WALB 10.

Cheers to WALB 10 for this article on Aaron Alvin Sr., who recovered from homelessness and drug addiction to receive a master’s degree in social work from Florida International University in Miami.

“I wanted to make sure I was in a position to help people and so I went ahead and got my master’s,” said Alvin, 50, who graduated with a 3.73 grade point average. The audience at the graduation ceremony gave him a standing ovation.

Alvin said a judge helped him by putting him in a drug treatment program. He wants to return that favor to others.

Alvin currently works with the homeless and hopes to one day open his own clinic to help people with drug addictions.

To learn more about how social workers help people overcome addictions visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Addictions Website by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of About.com.

Cheers to TMCNet.com for this article about National Association of Social Workers member Anna Starr and her school Dix Street Elementary in Otsego, Mich.

Pizza Hut sponsored a “Paying It Forward Challenge.” Seventeen schools were given $200 and a flipcam and told to do their best to pay it forward. The winners split a $10,000 prize from Pizza Hut.

Starr’s school used the $200 to buy socks and underwear for the needy. Another member of the community heard about their work and donated another $100 to the cause. Then the kids decided to sponsor a clothing drive to get more clothing.

In all, they gave out 2,800 items and $5,000 from Pizza Hut. Two other schools split the remaining $5,000.

“We were able to go buy brand new undewear and socks,” Starr said.

To learn more about how social workers get involved in communities visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Schools and Communities Web page by clicking here.

Richard Dawahare

Cheers to Kentucky attorney Richard Dawahare for urging the state to hire more social workers in his column in the Lexington Courier-Journal.

Dawahare said part of the reason Kentucky has an absymal child fatality rate is that social workers have caseloads almost twice the recommended federal standard of 18 to 20 per worker. Dawahare said there is no way overstressed workers can protect all the children in their care.

“Social workers are Kentucky’s front line soldiers in the war against child abuse and neglect,” he wrote. “The vast majority of them are tireless servants to their calling.”

Dawahare’s column comes at a time when social workers are not getting good press in the state.

A judge recently ruled that caseworkers failed to properly protect Amythz Dye, a 9-year-old who was beaten to death by her 18-year-old adopted brother. However, news headlines mistakenly said the caseworkers were trained and licensed social workers.

Gov. Steve Beshear also ordered the release of records of children who were killed or almost killed due to abuse or neglect, an action that has raised concern among social workers.

To learn more about how social workers protect children visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Kids & Families Website by clicking here.

Candace Wicks and her donated automobile. Photo courtesy of the Northfield News.

Cheers to the Northfield News in Minnesota for this article about a car donation program that helps needy people regain independence. 

Sharon Vangsness, a social worker for the Community Action Center of Northfield’s Community Action Auto Recycling program, is involved in the initiative. Vangsness is also a National Association of Social Workers member.

One of the people Vangsness helped is Candace Wicks, 25,who had developed back problems from her job unloading trucks. Vangsness arranged for Wicks to get a donated 1991 black Chevrolet Cavalier. That car has allowed Wicks to travel outside of town to take less strenuous work and get to physical therapy appointments.

“She was there,” Wicks said of Vangsness.

To learn more about how social wokers help people from all walks of life visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” consumer Website by clicking here.

Pat Howe. Photo courtesy of Michigan Live.

Cheers to Michigan Live for profiling social worker Pat Howe, MSW, executive director of Hope Network’s statewide behavioral health services in Michigan.

Howe was inspired to help people with mental illness from when she was a child. Her grandparents lived near a psychiatric hospital and Howe wondered what she could do to relieve the loneliness and suffering of people kept behind the facility’s barred windows.

Howe’s family was also very active in the Salvation Army, so she was raised to be concerned about the welfare of others.

“With that very rich heritage comes a passionate view and commitment to serving others,” Howe said.

To read the full article click here. And to learn more about how social workers help people with mental illnesses visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Mind and Spirit Website by clicking here.

Jerrold Jackson. Photo courtesy of Good.

Cheers to Good online magazine for this great Q&A article on New York City social worker Jerrold Jackson, who decided to enter the field after working as an arts, crafts and music director at a children’s summer camp.

Jackson is juggling getting a doctorate in social work, doing community-based outpatient psychotherapy with Mount Sinai Medical Center, and volunteering as a research strategist for the nonprofit ALEGRIA: Hope Through Art. Plus he consults and does lectures on the side.

However Jackson said he doesn’t mind.

“That’s a lot, I know, but I enjoy all that I do, and I’m motivated daily by the challenges that lie ahead,” he said.

To learn more about how social workers work for positive changes for children and communities visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Schools and Communities Website by clicking here.

Delmar Stone

Cheers to the Idaho Press-Tribune for running this column on hunger assistance from National Association of Social Workers Idaho Chapter Executive Director Delmar Stone.

Some members of Congress are calling for cuts in social service programs, including government food and nutrition programs.

Stone argues these cuts will result in even more hungry people. And although some fraud may exist it is unfair to abolish a whole program because of a few bad apples, he said.

“While there are, undoubtedly, some folks who take advantage of these programs, no one is getting rich off them, and we certainly shouldn’t eliminate any because a few dishonest people are abusing our nation’s safety net,” Stone wrote. “Instead, we should continue to expand the programs that have been proven to work and increase efforts for fraud prevention.”

Screen shot of Dan Grinstead courtesy of NBC Universal.

Cheers to Channel 9 News in Denver for this television segment and news article about social worker Dan Grinstead, who deployed to Afghanistan for year while in his 60′s.

A social worker for 35 years, Grinstead decided he wanted to serve his country by providing mental health care to soldiers. “I just couldn’t imagine myself sitting down talking with soldiers in anything other than a uniform,” he said.

During his year in Afghanistan the Iowa resident helped troops deal with a variety of issues including combat stress, relationships, loss of sleep, finances and the deaths of fellow soldiers. The commander of his battalion said Grinstead’s work was invaluable because he helped his comrades be better soldiers.

To learn more about how social workers help men and women in the armed forces visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Veterans Affairs Website by clicking here.

Film poster. Courtesy of IMDB.com.

Review by David Shrank, MSW

“Just take your time.”

This is an infamous line that I and many other people who stutter frequently hear. It was also used near the beginning of the Oscar-winning film “The King’s Speech,” which is now available on DVD and Blu Ray.

I say it is infamous because non-stutterers think they are giving stutterers helpful advice when they say it. That couldn’t be further from the truth. When you say this you can make stutterers feel more self-conscious and judged.

Still, as a social worker and stutterer I recommend you watch the “The King’s Speech,” which originally played in theaters in 2010.

The film can give social workers an idea of the challenges stutterers face when they try to make their voices heard. And it offers insights on how to help clients who are dealing with speech issues, such as those who have had a stroke or brain injury.

“The Kings Speech” follows King George VI (actor Colin Firth) as he worked to overcome his stuttering with the help of Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue, who is portrayed by actor Geoffrey Rush.

A scene from The King's Speech. Photo courtesy of official Website.

Public speaking is an important task for British royals but was even more crucial during the reign of King George VI, who had to encourage his subjects through the dark days of World War II.

 ”Get it out.” “Just take your time.” “Form your words carefully.” “Relax.” “Just try it.” “DO IT!”

These are the words of George VI’s father King George V (actor Michael Gambon) said in the movie as his son was getting ready for a speech. His father’s mood went from calm to frustrated, angry and irate.

This can only lead to self-doubt, poor self esteem, panic, anxiety, fear, and tension on the part of the stutterer, making it even more difficult for them to communicate.

 ”The King’s Speech” identified many other issues a person who stutters has when communicating with others:

• King George VI stuttered less when speaking to his wife and children. This is common among stutterers, who tend to be more relaxed among loved ones. And his wife Queen Elizabeth (played by Helena Bonham Carter) was one of his biggest advocates. However, King George VI was tenser and stuttered more around his brother Edward, who bullied him as a child and adult.
•  Reading out loud to a group is difficult for stutterers. However, stutterers often have no problem reading in public when they do it along with a group of people or there is background noise.
• Logue in the film effectively pointed out how the principles of singing can be applied to treating stuttering. A good speech therapist will put a lot of time in teaching what sounds to hold and not hold when speaking, which relates well to singing.
•  Another technique Logue used was to get King George VI to shake his jaw and different parts of his body to relax before public speaking. He also showed that exercise is an effective relaxation tool.
•  It was interesting to see Logue use cursing as a way to promote fluency. This is a concept that is rarely discussed but is usually effective. People who stutter usually don’t stutter when they curse. Cursing is usually related to anger. Anger promotes empowerment and self-confidence and is a good way to decrease tension.
•  Logue pointed out the importance of memorizing or being very familiar with a speech before you deliver it. This technique, which can be effective for stutterers and non-stutterers, is important in public speaking because it allows a person to focus on how something is said instead of what is being said.

I did have a few qualms with the film. In one scene Logue said stuttering can be cured. That is false — there is no cure for stuttering but fluency can be dramatically improved provided stutterers get proper support.

I also did not like that a doctor in the film said stuttering is caused by “mechanical difficulties in speech.” That is a demeaning way to describe stuttering, which has many physiological and psychological components that can be difficult to treat.

Scene from The King's Speech. Photo courtesy of official Website.

Still, I love the “The Kings Speech” because King George VI’s journey reflects what I and a lot of stutterers have experienced. Like him I was bullied and had low self-esteem. However, I also have a very supportive wife as he did.

Just as the King had a strong voice, all people who are blessed to have a disability such as stuttering have a voice and it’s equally as powerful as any other voice.

David Shrank, MSW, LSW, is a corrections case manager in Trenton, N.J. who evaluates former inmates who have persistent mental illness. He also provides them with clinical therapy, resources, and acts as their court liaison. He also is head of mental health and a board member for the Equality Project, an anti-bullying activist nonprofit agency.  In addition Shrank, who received his master’s degree in social work from Temple University, is developing a private practice working with children who have been severely bullied.

To learn more about how Shrank and other social workers help people with mental illnesses and disabilities visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” consumer Website by clicking here.