Karen Wussow. Photo courtesy of the Brainerd Dispatch.

Cheers to Minnesota’s Brainerd Dispatch for this article on Karen Wussow and the social worker who helped her, Peter Brinda.

Wussow, 51, and her four brothers were placed in foster care. Later Wussow grappled with alcohol and poverty.

However, she devoted her life to helping others in similar circumstances.  Wussow has worked for 20 years as a social worker with Minnesota Social Services and became a public speaker and author.

She credits her grandmother and social worker Peter Brinda with helping her succeed, despite having a family torn apart by addiction issues. Wussow said the care and guidance Brinda gave her and her brothers reminded her that someone cared.

 “He didn’t talk down to me,” she said.

To learn more about how social workers help children, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Adoptions and Foster Care Web page by clicking here.