Suzanne Dworak-Peck is a former President of NASW:
USC Alum Donates $60 Million to School of Social Work
Westside Today
A USC alum considered a pioneer in the field of social work has donated $60 million to the university and will have the School of Social Work renamed in her honor, the university announced today.… During her career, she has served as president of the National Association of Social Workers and the International Federation of Social Workers. She also founded the NASW Communications Network, aimed at providing media and entertainment industries with information and resources on social issues.

Freeport School District social worker Maria Tuten earns state award
Journal-Standard (Freeport, IL)
Maria Tuten didn’t become a social worker so she could win awards, but sometimes hard work still gets rewarded. In October, the Illinois State Board of Education will recognize Tuten with a “Those Who Excel” award for her work to help students at Carl Sandburg Middle School. She is one of three employees in the Freeport School District who will receive the honor.

Stafford Police to Implement Innovative New Program with Ocean Mental Health
Tapinto.net (Stafford, NJ)
On Thursday, September 15, at the Ocean Acres Community Center, Chief Thomas Dellane announced the new pilot program the Stafford Township Police Department will begin implementing. The innovative new program “On Point” will put a licensed clinical social worker at the police department to work alongside the officers and assist them in dealing with certain crisis situations in our community.

Weber, Davis school districts implement new app for students in crisis
Standard-Examiner (Ogden, UT)
Christy Hutchinson, the district’s K-12 prevention coordinator, said roughly 50,000 of the 72,000 students enrolled there have access to SafeUT, and the rest will soon. “You can talk, text, go through the website, and get an actual licensed clinical social worker,” she said. “That’s unheard of. The kids are really getting their issues addressed in a healthy way.” Hutchinson said she didn’t know exactly how many students in her district had used the app, though she had inquired at the University Neuropsychiatric Institute.

Eta Levenson is a member:
Parents advocate for suicide prevention
New Jersey Jewish News
The grievous loss of their oldest son has impelled the Levensons to become involved in suicide prevention, in and outside of the Jewish community. Mark is an attorney who is prominent in volunteer work for Jewish organizations. Eta is a clinical social worker who chairs Greater MetroWest ABLE, an agency that works to include developmentally challenged individuals “in active and meaningful participation in every aspect of Jewish life.”

“Social Innovation for America’s Renewal” Conference Takes on Nation’s “Grand Challenges”
Canada Business Journal
“In order to accomplish these Grand Challenges, we’re going to have to up our game,” said Angelo McClain, chief executive officer of the National Association of Social Workers. The Grand Challenges initiative is an opportunity for social workers to have a great collective impact, he said. “We can do far, far more together than we can think about doing on our own.”

FSU to host event focusing on domestic violence Tuesday
Tallahassee Democrat
Florida State University’s College of Social Work Institute for Family Violence Studies and the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council will sponsor “Behind the Door: Too Close to Home,” 5:30- 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to help end the silence surrounding domestic violence.… “This year’s event is especially important because of the recent spate of domestic violence fatalities in Tallahassee just this month,” said Kelly O’Rourke of the Institute for Family Violence Studies. “Sadly, Tallahassee is not immune to these tragedies.