Christine Corcoran, Bethany Christian Services

March is National Social Worker Appreciation Month and I am not sure there is a group that is more deserving of praise and celebration!  Social workers are often the people who are behind the scenes making things better for kids, families and communities.  Social workers enter the profession to make the world a better place through helping others, advocating for system change and improving communities.  Social workers are trained to look at families and communities individually and holistically, often making huge differences and impacts that may not be seen immediately or at all.  For example, assisting and supporting one parent in finding employment and safe and stable housing can make a huge and lasting difference for their children and their children’s children, as well as their community.  Social Workers spend their days connecting people who might not otherwise have access to essential services and resources.  They play a vital role in advocating for better services for vulnerable populations.

It is important to celebrate the crucial role that social workers play in supporting and uplifting communities.  We need to give them credit for doing a job that few others want to do, for being on call at 3 a.m. to visit a family in crisis, for eating their lunches in their cars and living with job descriptions that consistently indicate “other duties as assigned.” Social workers serve on the front line of social reform and often and consistently put others needs before their own. 

Join me in celebrating Social Workers everywhere by thanking them for what they do day in and day out, by encouraging them to utilize their Self Care Plan, by encouraging them to take time off to care for themselves and their families, and by advocating wherever possible for increased wages.  While March is the month set aside to celebrate Social Workers, they deserve to be celebrated each and every day!