A student high-fives a classmate after social worker Anna-Marie DiPasquale, center, tells him he earned a financial waiver to take a college entrance exam he needed. Photo by Andrea Morales of the Concord Monitor.

The Concord School District in New Hampshire was so eager to keep the services of National Association of Social Workers member Anna-Marie DiPasquale they put more than $39,000 in their budget to help pay her, according to this article in the Concord Monitor.

DiPasquale, who works for Lutheran Social Services, was able to work for the school district through a $55,000 federal grant. However, that grant expires in August which is why the school district allocated the funds for part of her salary.

“We understood that they were losing the grant and we didn’t want to lose her,” said Assistant Superintendent Donna Palley.

Concord has one of the fastest growing populations in New Hampshire and school officials wanted to make sure there was a social worker to help students, including those who are refugees from foreign countries.

DiPasquale has a reputation for being a strong advocate for students. For instance, she discovered a college made an administrative error on a student’s financial aid package, making it unlikely the high schooler could afford to attend.

So she got on the phone and ended up persuading the college to give the student  a full scholarship.

Several students DiPasquale has worked with now say they want to be social workers too.

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